On my ride yesterday, I engaged in an exchange with a rider, I’ll call him “Dude,” who did something I find insanely annoying. First though, let me describe the setting and the group in which I was riding.
Yesterday’s lovely weather took me outdoors on my bike for a few hours around town and down to the Booty Loop, a 3 mile loop in Myers Park, near Queens University, that is known for all the cyclists and runners and people jaunting around it. Suffice to say, this is generally not the place you come to do serious race training. The group I was in during the exchange with Dude was obviously recreational riders taking advantage of the nice weather. Most of them probably haven’t been on their bike in weeks…maybe months, judging by the looks of pain on their faces as we hit the hills. I was perfectly happy to spin with these guys, taking in the beautiful weather.
The exchange happened when Dude pulled off the front after his turn to “pull.” And I use that term loosely because his pull was no more than 18 mph – a very relaxed pace. I was 2 riders back from him and I had been keeping about half a bike length between myself and the rider in front of me. Well, Dude didn’t like that very much. As he drifted by me, he motioned with his hand for me to close the gap. I looked over at him. “I’m on it,” I assured him. “Well, I’m glad that you are, that way, I don’t have to be.” WHAAAAATT? Firstly, we’re only going 18 mph…it’s not like we’re in a 25 mph paceline in danger of being dropped off the back. Secondly, it’s the BOOTY LOOP, for crying out loud!
What I wanted to say and what I did say were two different things. Did he really think I couldn’t close the gap at the whopping 18 mph at which we were traveling? Was he serious? After all, I wasn’t the one huffing and puffing. Did he really think that he was going to have to help me? Surely not so I said to him, “Dude, this isn’t exactly a race pace.” And I laughed, thinking maybe he was kidding. “Well, why don’t you have a go?” WHAAAAATT?
He can’t be serious, right? I looked at his face. He was serious; almost angry. He really wanted me to have a go? To attack a group of recreational riders who could barely keep 18 mph? I have been riding long enough to know how arrogant that would be. He realizes we’re on the Booty Loop, right? I looked at him again, this time laughing AT him, not just NEAR him.
The group eventually did break up on account of a couple hills. Dude stayed on my wheel…just stayed there. Never came around for a pull, not that I was putting myself out, but in cycling, that’s the courteous thing to do. I finally got tired of it. After pulling him around for 6 miles, I sat up. When I did, he sprinted past me. I guess he figured that was his time to “have a go” against me. He was determined to make it to the “finish” before me. He kept looking back to see if I was following and every time he did, I took a drink from my bottle and looked off to the side. I didn’t want to ride with such an arrogant tool. I have nothing to prove; especially on the Booty Loop. I laughed again to myself and enjoyed the rest of my ride.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Poor Davie Zee
David Zabriskie’s Salt Lake City home was burglarized while he was busy placing second in the Amgen Tour of California last week. The Garmin/Slipstream rider lost of lot of irreplaceable items including Olympic and Giro d’Italia memorabilia. What bothers me the most (aside from the thieving humans) is that there’s been no major news coverage of the break in. I mean, for crying out loud, Lance loses ONE bike and it’s in the headlines all over the world. David loses just about everything and the only coverage seems to be on cycling websites. Here’s a list of what was stolen, according to VeloNews:
• Black 2008 Subaru Outback, Utah plate A189NC
• Black 2006 Toyota Scion, Utah plate 094VWM
• Giro D Italia Race Medal (approx. 6" circumference)
• Olympic Seiko watch
• Beijing Olympic ring (silver) with initials "DZ" engraved
• Olympic Time Trial Bike, plus 12 other bikes
• Cervelo (black/red) bike frame - team issued
• Tag Heuer watch
• Bose Speaker/Receiver System
• Sony 52" flat screen TV
• Two Mac Books and one Mac desktop, plus hard drive
• A pair of Space legs, a recovery compression system for legs
• 7 Marvel sideshow statues
The items that CAN be valued reach over $150,000 not including the 2 vehicles. But, let’s face it: the Giro Medal, Olympic TT bike and Olympic ring are not replaceable and no price can be assigned to them. There’s only one way to get those things - work your ass off your whole life and win them for yourself. Or, I guess, you could just steal them.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the Tips for Cash line at (801) 799-INFO (4636). Please reference case #09-32767. You can also email the Salt Lake City Police Department at slcpd@slcgov.com.
• Black 2008 Subaru Outback, Utah plate A189NC
• Black 2006 Toyota Scion, Utah plate 094VWM
• Giro D Italia Race Medal (approx. 6" circumference)
• Olympic Seiko watch
• Beijing Olympic ring (silver) with initials "DZ" engraved
• Olympic Time Trial Bike, plus 12 other bikes
• Cervelo (black/red) bike frame - team issued
• Tag Heuer watch
• Bose Speaker/Receiver System
• Sony 52" flat screen TV
• Two Mac Books and one Mac desktop, plus hard drive
• A pair of Space legs, a recovery compression system for legs
• 7 Marvel sideshow statues
The items that CAN be valued reach over $150,000 not including the 2 vehicles. But, let’s face it: the Giro Medal, Olympic TT bike and Olympic ring are not replaceable and no price can be assigned to them. There’s only one way to get those things - work your ass off your whole life and win them for yourself. Or, I guess, you could just steal them.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the Tips for Cash line at (801) 799-INFO (4636). Please reference case #09-32767. You can also email the Salt Lake City Police Department at slcpd@slcgov.com.
Monday, February 23, 2009
My "Slight" Tactical Error
I may have made a slight tactical error in my race execution on Saturday in Greenville.
OK. Actually, there’s no “may” or “slight” about it. I made a huge tactical error. Several, in fact. My plan was good. Having only decided the night before the race to participate, I set only 2 simple goals for myself. The first – ride near the front. The second - hang on for a pack finish.
Over 50 women started the race – everyone from first timers to pros straight out of the Tour of Cali Crit. The pace was quick from the start and I found myself riding halfway down the pack. I moved up to the front instantly and was amazed at how fast I was able to accomplish that given the amount of riders. So, I rode at the front for a little while, content to let some of the pros set the pace. Yay, I somewhat accomplished one of my goals. Too bad it was only the first lap. There was a long way to go. The attacks started.
Here’s where I made my “slight” mistake. I lost all self control, got a wild hair and decided to follow Ally Stacher on an attack. Of course, as soon as she looked back and saw it was me behind her, she eased up. There is no way Ally would attempt a breakaway with someone as weak as me. That was a tactically good move on her part (that’s why she rides pro and I don’t…among other reasons). As soon as the peleton caught us, there was a counter attack. We chased and caught them. Then another attack – I THINK it was Ally again and a BMW rider - it's all a daze at this point. They got a small gap. My legs felt decent, so I bridged across to them. Again, leaving my race plans on the side of the road. The peleton chased us down easily. I should mention that the wind was insane – 30 miles an hour. I was already red lining, having attempted 2 breakaways in under a minute. I decided to ease back into the group and hide myself from the wind for a while to catch my breath. As I eased back, I notice that the group was half as large as when we started – we had dropped a bunch of riders.
At this point, I made another mistake. I was not paying attention. I was too focused on the wheel in front of me to realize that rider was falling off the back of the pack. I looked up and saw a gap between her and the group. I began to panic. I swung around her and began my pursuit back to the peleton. In that wind, however, it proved to be a battle of pure will. They were only about 10 meters in front of me, but I could not seem to close the gap. After about 10 minutes of fighting, I finally caught back on. But, I was so spent from chasing, that as soon as the next attack went, I couldn’t hold on. My legs blew up. So did the goals I set for myself. What was I thinking trying to play games with the big girl's?
I eased up for about a minute – enough time to let my legs recover a bit – and then decided to finish the last 30 miles as a time trial into the wind. As I did, I was passing other women who had fallen off the group. I suspect I finished somewhere in the middle of all the women who started. I don’t know for sure because, for some reason, Pre-reg.com only posted the top 15 places, instead of complete results. At the end of the race, I was glad to hear the peleton had been completely busted up. There were 2 reasons for this – the pro riders attacked relentlessly and the wind kept people off the back.
So, there you go. First race of 2009 – a bust. Maybe not a complete bust, but not a great start. It can only get better from here, right?
OK. Actually, there’s no “may” or “slight” about it. I made a huge tactical error. Several, in fact. My plan was good. Having only decided the night before the race to participate, I set only 2 simple goals for myself. The first – ride near the front. The second - hang on for a pack finish.
Over 50 women started the race – everyone from first timers to pros straight out of the Tour of Cali Crit. The pace was quick from the start and I found myself riding halfway down the pack. I moved up to the front instantly and was amazed at how fast I was able to accomplish that given the amount of riders. So, I rode at the front for a little while, content to let some of the pros set the pace. Yay, I somewhat accomplished one of my goals. Too bad it was only the first lap. There was a long way to go. The attacks started.
Here’s where I made my “slight” mistake. I lost all self control, got a wild hair and decided to follow Ally Stacher on an attack. Of course, as soon as she looked back and saw it was me behind her, she eased up. There is no way Ally would attempt a breakaway with someone as weak as me. That was a tactically good move on her part (that’s why she rides pro and I don’t…among other reasons). As soon as the peleton caught us, there was a counter attack. We chased and caught them. Then another attack – I THINK it was Ally again and a BMW rider - it's all a daze at this point. They got a small gap. My legs felt decent, so I bridged across to them. Again, leaving my race plans on the side of the road. The peleton chased us down easily. I should mention that the wind was insane – 30 miles an hour. I was already red lining, having attempted 2 breakaways in under a minute. I decided to ease back into the group and hide myself from the wind for a while to catch my breath. As I eased back, I notice that the group was half as large as when we started – we had dropped a bunch of riders.
At this point, I made another mistake. I was not paying attention. I was too focused on the wheel in front of me to realize that rider was falling off the back of the pack. I looked up and saw a gap between her and the group. I began to panic. I swung around her and began my pursuit back to the peleton. In that wind, however, it proved to be a battle of pure will. They were only about 10 meters in front of me, but I could not seem to close the gap. After about 10 minutes of fighting, I finally caught back on. But, I was so spent from chasing, that as soon as the next attack went, I couldn’t hold on. My legs blew up. So did the goals I set for myself. What was I thinking trying to play games with the big girl's?
I eased up for about a minute – enough time to let my legs recover a bit – and then decided to finish the last 30 miles as a time trial into the wind. As I did, I was passing other women who had fallen off the group. I suspect I finished somewhere in the middle of all the women who started. I don’t know for sure because, for some reason, Pre-reg.com only posted the top 15 places, instead of complete results. At the end of the race, I was glad to hear the peleton had been completely busted up. There were 2 reasons for this – the pro riders attacked relentlessly and the wind kept people off the back.
So, there you go. First race of 2009 – a bust. Maybe not a complete bust, but not a great start. It can only get better from here, right?
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