Hi All, at Bud's request here's what I remember...
 
     After having put it off for quite a few weeks I decided I needed to start some speed workouts so off to the races I went.  I put my lighter wheels on the Lemond and commuted in Tueday morning with the the plan to head over to the Crit course of Renner and Shiloh for the approximately 30 minutes of fast paced riding after work.  I had to renew my USCF license during the day and print out a permission to ride slip.  I find that I really don't like intervals or really much of any kind of actual speed work training, but seem to do pretty well motivation wise in these crits.  Last year I did about 9 of them, and the start it wasn't very pretty, but towards the last couple I was generally finishing in or near the top 10.  Now this is not the big show mind you, just the C race with alot of new riders, and some juniors.  There are a few others like me who seem to be there for the speed workout.  
    After riding over to the course I took off the lights, and met Kevin who was there warming up with Todd in very spiffy IC3 jersies.  Kevin let me stash my backpack in his truck and with some trepidation I signed up.  Last year the things were pretty small in the C race and everything was quite well behaved, but I did hear about somebody ending up with a plate in their head after a crash in the B race earlier this year. At race start there were some 30 or so folks, and fortunately everybody rolled out quite sanely so far so good.  
    The first couple of laps go by smoothly and despite not going anaerobic once this year I'm feeling OK.  Very wisely Kevin is at the head of the pack setting a nice sane pace.  About 10 minutes in there is a prime and I think I might try, but then realize I ought to behave and see how the first race goes before getting too cocky.  So I sit in the pack and cruise around as it strings out a bit chasing the prime guys.  After the prime things come back quickly and it seems in a lap or so I need to move up some, so its clear on the inside of the East stretch which is slightly uphill and into the wind.  I push a little bit to get back to the front, and oops I pop a little off the front without trying just before the corner.  Well I'm thinking about just freewheeling back into the pack but kinda think well I am here for the workout, and Kevin is yelling something about going, so I figure he'll block a bit so I kinda half assed picked up the pace.  Not too hard because a consult of the clock says I'd have to do it for 15 minutes, which I don't think is going to happen.  So I just maintain 25mph or so and after a lap on the East side again I have a maybe a 200 yard gap.  The next lap around I do a check and see folks chasing now, so I figure the end of the escape is not to far, but I'm surprised that it takes until middle of North side for somebody to roll by.  The first man by says "you got anything left?" and I look over at the 2 bike gap he has and laugh, yeah we're getting away.  So I just tuck in and try to recover.  It seems way too soon the 5 laps to go counter pops up, and yeah now I'm starting to feel the lack of speed work.  I'm still hanging on, but when the bell rings for the last lap I just kinda cruise it in.  Does it still count as a pack finish when you can see the back of the pack?  Kevin looked like he rode a very smart race but I didn't see where he was at the end.  Too bad recumbents don't get to race these things as the extra couple of mph but come in very handy during an escape.  All in all I was very pleased, I certainly got a workout, and with a bit smarter race should finish OK next time.  Everybody behaved and I didn't see anything squirly.  My computer showed a max of 31mph, and avg just over 23  for the 11.2 miles, so good speedwork for the week done!
 
Take Care,
Nelson.

I love JV's write ups, man he has an engine, and some awesome bike handling ability!  It would be cool if we had such an event here.  Coming from Alabama though it is still amazing the amount of organized riding and racing here.  I can remember (barely it was @18-20 years ago) always having to drive about 3-4 hours to any organized event.  Here in DFW you have some many to choose from!

Who is JV??
 
Terry
 
Quote from Kwijybow on Jun 8^th, 2007, 4:40pm:

Does he keep a blog?

Quote from terranimo on Jun 11^th, 2007, 3:07am:

 
JV is Jim Verheul, a Team Bacchetta racer who uses the id of Crit Racer in the Bacchetta forum.

Hi Folks,
 
   Tonight I counted roughly 26 heads at the start.  Kevin was there, but his team mate Todd was missing, as was an RBM fellow I see every week.  Race started sanely again, and this week there were two primes, which I completely ignored in order to better suck the wheels at the back of the pack.  My plan do nothing, and attack hard the last lap.  So I was cruising around and didn't even notice that the lap counter had come out until it said 3 to go, oops better get into to position, so slid up a bit for the next two laps.  Coming up the hill with the 1 lap to go sign I attack hard up the inside gutter, and nobody really seems to respond, swing through the wobbly brick corner hard enough to bounce a little side ways and hold 30 mph for a few hundred yards, all right match book burned, do the slow death ride and be as low and smooth as possible until the finish.  the gap slowly dwindles and about 50 yards from the finish I'm caught and cooked.  Oh well, made a race of it, and had one honking interval.  In the old days I was good for about a 1:04 kilometer, and and I'm sure I'm no where near that now, and unfortunately one lap is .8 miles around.  So I I'll try to time it a little later next time, but unfortunately the best place for the attack is where its hard up the hill, not where its downhill/downwind at the 1km mark.  Race average tonight was 24 mph for the 11.2 miles, and I had a max on the attack of 31mph.
 
   Paul about that corner, I find there is plenty of traction through the brick corner even if the noise is a bit alarming.  Where you have to watch it is on the exit where in the middle of the road is an ugly uneven pavement seam where the outside edge sticks up higher.  Also there is an ugly couple of crack/potholes on the west side you want to avoid.  There is a big mound of asphalt and loose gravel that can be ridden though before the sweeping NW corner, but at some risk as I flatted there last year.  I went into the corner and my rear wheel went out hard enough I thought somebody had hit me, but when I looked back nobody was there and I realized my tire was going down fast.  There is also one tiny dip at the NE corner exit that can be ridden through, people know it is there but avoid it leaving a gap usually, I made a habit of just riding right over it, since it is in the middle of a good line, and people are leaving room there.
 
  Had a blast, and got my speedwork.  Maybe I'll get there next week, but regardless it is fun trying.
 
Take Care,
Nelson.

Hi Kevin,  
 
    Man sorry to hear about the cramp, no fun.  It was quite hot and it looked like you did a lot of work.  
 
It looks like there was an ugly crash in the A-Race right where you come out of the Brick corner, did someone hit that seam I so dislike?  
 
http://www.txbra.org/forum3/index.asp?page=loader&forumID=15
 
Take Care,
Nelson.

Hi Kevin,
 
  What time are you guys going to be there, I have the Corsa in the Car though, was thinking about riding there or maybe doing the popsicle ride.
 
Take Care,
Nelson.

We actually waited a bit at 17-18 for any fallen riders to have a chance...and then two attacked our courtesy.
 
Kevin

chuckle....there were also a bunch of guys hassling me for not leading us out.  I sat in 3rd spot and made someone else do it.
 
Worst result of the year.  Maybe I will do my traditional lead out next time...

I rode in today with the Lemond, if we get to go I'll have to take the clip on fenders and lights off, the heavy wheels will just have to do. But yeah I'm planning on trying.  Definitely feeling pretty lousy though, still tired from the 300K and I pulled something in my back doing yard work, but I'll still give it a whirl.  Hope to see ya there!
 
Take Care,
Nelson.

Hi All,
 
  This weeks edition of the Tuesday Nighter is kinda dull.  I rode the Lemond to work with the heavier wheels as there is a lot of debris on my commute and when I went by the crit course the night before they had just cut the grass there and the road was full of grass and little rocks and dirt.  After work I moseyed over to the course, and as luck would have it flatted just as I pulled onto the course .  So changed the tube, borrowed a pump to get to full race pressure stowed my gear in Kevin's truck and warmed up.  My lack of miles the last 2 weeks didn't exactly inspire confidence tonight, so I just planned to hang on as long as possible.  I counted @21 people at the start.  There was a pretty stout South wind tonight so things started slow, and every 5 minutes or so somebody would get a little frisky but no one seemed to be able to get away.  Once again I found myself at the back end of the pack after a split and we were down to around 13 people.  Kevin's computer bounced off at some point and he stopped to pick it up the next lap, and rejoined us the next lap, so I had some company at the rear as I sucked wheel.  Going into the last lap the pace picked up to @24mph on the up hill into the wind section, and 30mph on the down wind section and I just maintained, a a couple of folks shelled out, and I think coming out of the last corner I might have moved up to 10th, and I saw a lowly 31mph max, like I said not a sprinter.  Not exactly stellar performance, but certainly got a good workout.  The ride home was pretty slow, until I realized I had a headwind from the North because of a storm moving in, so picked it up and just beat it home.
 
Take Care,
Nelson.

Nelson...you coming out to the crits tonight?

Not too much to report this week,  Hung at the back for a bit over 20 minutes but the constant accelerations killed me.  Need to get up more towards the front, but much bigger pack in the B race.  
 
Race statistics (For me, I was only there half the race)
Time 26:26 (with a couple of slower laps after I came off the back)
Max speed 33.5 mph, avg speed 25.5  
177 Max BPM, 156 Avg BPM.  
 
Killer workout for me, making the leap to this race is going to be harder than I thought.  I really need to work on keeping my momentum through the corners better.
 
Take Care,
Nelson.