ToKV

Disclaimer: No, I am not becoming a roadie. Just using it as training and trying to get my upgrade.

Kensington road race was Saturday. Weather was much better than expected. 7 laps and 59 miles with some decent hills sounded fun to me. And I got to play in the 4's this weekend!

Rode over to Kensington and registered Friday and rode a lap of the course. Rode over at 6:20am on Saturday for a 10mi warmup with Cruise. Race went off at 7:20, and I was at the back. Spent lap 1 trying to move up and not crash. That first lap was real sketchy with constant speed changes, and lots of braking. I am suprised there wasn't a pileup. 2 got away on lap 2, and a teammate of one was blocking. No one wanted to sit up front, so I did my normal thing and drilled the pace. Spent a half lap the the front, and pulled the break back. I have no patience for this crap. Funny thing was Cruise and I were talking about sitting in the first few laps to get a feel for it. Then we pass eachother on the straightaway. I'm pulling the 4's, he's off the front of the 3's. Guess we like to ride fast.

So I sat near the front and did a bit of work all race. Set tempo up some climbs and also tried some attacks. Problem was everyone kept chasing me. I am wearing a disguise next race. Alan from trails-edge attacked, and I started to chase, but I backed off when no one else worked and he was solo. WRONG. There was a break up the road I did not know about. With tons of groups mixed, people dropped, and others off the front of other groups, it was hard to keep track. A group of 4 ended up winning since there was no working at the front. I finished off with 3rd in the pack sprint I guess. The results had me 6th, but when I checked online later, I was 7th. Hmm, I guess that 15min protest rule doesn't work. But, I don't really care anyways. What's 6th or 7th, it's just training to me.

Not a bad race for having weak legs. Putting in back to back 350 miles weeks with almost no recovery and sitting up front for most of Thursday race had my legs a bit fatigued. Not bad though, I ended up with 95 miles on the day with a 2.5hr race in there. Then I threw in a 4hr MTB ride on the SS yesterday. Yup, I still like to MTB.

Up on the docket is a trip for the weekend. Heading up north for some riding to finish off a hard block. Looks like loops of Hanson Hills on Friday with a road ride back to Gaylord. Nice long ride in Leelanau on Saturday, then churning up some laps at Boyne Mt on Sunday. Looks to be a fun weekend. After that I shall be seen at Waterford the following Thursday trying to not make dumb mistakes again, and the the Brighton Rec stage race the week after that.

I like to ride my bike!

How to Lose a Bike Race

Yup, another Waterford Hills race in the books. Weather was okay, a bit chilly, but wind was not bad. The race started off with Don drilling it from the start and myself follwing in hopes to bring in some strong guys for a break. No dice, they all followed. A break got away early on and we knew it could stick. With people like Tim, Scott, Luke, and another rider, it was up to someone to try and bring it back. With 2 Wolverines in the break that was out of the question. So after the gap got big, Don and I did some rolling pulls. He'd pull, then me, and we'd tuck in behind eachother. After a while, we brought them back. Some more attacks went and both of us always seemed to be upfront working. Ah, it's all for training anyways.

By the end of the race, it gets a bit annoying and tiring with slow and fast. I took a flyer near the end to bridge up to Luke, but he was done and the pack was coming. With 2 to go, Alan Smith attacked and Don followed. I jumped off the front and tried to bridge. As I caught them, I looked back and saw the gap. Looked over at Don and we went. I pulled from there and it hurt. Came to the start/finish with 1 to go and I saw the pack not too far behind. I was at the back of the pack trying to regain some power, but didn't want to blow-up before the finish. So I sat-up and went back to the pack. Ya, that's where the problem was. When I got to the pack, it was all Wolverines sitting up, to let Alan go for the W. Damn. Looking back, it kills me that I let up. Lessons learned. If there would not have been a Wolverine, things would have been different. All I know is I could have been in the money. Argh.

Well, thats racing, and learning. Only my 6th road race, so you learn things all the time. Most of it is the team tactics and strategy. Still learning all of that. But, I got in some great training and experience. Remember, the front is where the training is done.

And...the strongest man won tonight. It's not often that it happens, but props to Don. He can lay it down for real. And he's got some $ to get that 'stang home.

BLIP 100

Pics courtesy of Hermitman
We changed the name to sound better. Brighton, Lakelands, Island Lake, and Poto.

Fun ride. Weather was gorgeous. No clouds and high 60's made for a nice day in the saddle. Started at home with Cruise, rolled through ILRA and picked up Robert, Bill, Alex and Jim. Checked out the Demo Day for a few minutes then rolled down to Poto via Lakelands trail. Poto was sweet. Headed back and did all loops at Brighton before shooting back over to ILRA. Great day. ended up with 104.2 mountain bike miles. Not bad. Thanks for the good company.

Highlights of the day

-104.2 miles! Somewhere around 7hrs of ride time.

-Riding with a good group of guys

-The squirrel!!! Good times.

-Shredding the Poto

-Cruise repeating "I hate this trail" on the Lost Loop at Brighton. FYI he was riding a new bike with a 29er wheel and big sweeper bars on a tight. twisty trail.

-Catching myself in a rut, letting Clikeman and Robert go by, then a couple minutes later we come around a corner to find Bill lying in the weeds.

-Finishing

-Cruise eating his first peanut butter and nutella sandwich.

-Mucho food.

Change of Plans

Ride is now Saturday. Weather looks much better then. Starting from my house and rolling through Island lake trailhead about 9:45ish.

Come One, Come All- PILB 100

So racing is out of the way for a while and the trails and weather are looking great. That means that it is time for some nice long days in the saddle hitting up some fine MTB trails. This isn't the HIP, or the BOOBS 100, but the PILB 100. Yeah, the name is kind of lame, maybe Alex could help me out!

What-PILB 100- Poto, Island Lake, Brighton Rec trails

When-This Sunday, May 11, 2008 9:00 am

Where-Start from Island Lake Trailhead-Ride to Poto, then back to Brighton.

Why: Because it is FUN!

If you want to make the ride, but can't Sunday, I am up for Saturday as well. We can stop at ILRA and check out the Demo Day as well. The start time and location can change as well if needed.

Bring water, food, and some cash if you need food/water at some stores we pass. Minimal paved road. Mostly trail, some dirt road, and Lakelands Trail. Post up if you want to do a nice long ride.

Fastest Lap of the Day

25:04:2-Brent Steinberg-CAT 5

Here are the results. CLICK. Check out the CAT 4 lap times. A big difference.

Za Cone Azalia

3 miles of dirt road, 7 miles of paved. The race page says it's the Paris Roubaix of the Midwest. They forgot to leave out the part that it is DEAD flat.

Oksy, so I decided to do the race earlier this week when I saw rain forcasted all week and into the weekend. The idea of camping at Fort Custer, racing in the rain, and driving the 2hrs both ways, ON TOP of $45 bucks to race, made the decision easier. And I am trying to do some road races and get my license upgraded from the 5's.

Decided to roll big. CX bike, 35c tires, 39x53 on the front and a PT out back. I didn't feel like flatting or shredding my tires. I figured I would be fine, the road would be a bit slower, but who cares, it's 5's, right?


Tested the setup to make sure it worked Saturday. Dirt roads, some pavement, and of course some 1-track. Ya never know when you have to go off-roading! Rig worked good and legs felt good.

Race day. 10am start. They also bumped our class down to 2 laps, oh boy, 20 miles. I did 1.5 laps of the course beforehand. Dirt roads were fine, just loose gravel on them and only one road had some potholes. 5's went off 2 minutes after the 4's. I lead on the dirt road from the start. A few people put in some 10 second pulls when I moved over, but not much help. Pack blew into shreds, and I looked back to see 2 dangling about 30 yards back. I was nearing on the 4's, but then a train came. Sat up, it was quick, and 4 of us went by the 4's. Then some 4's went by us and we were in the group. That's stupid. No need for mixing. So I rode next to the group and moved back up to the front as we came through lap #1.

With 4 5's in the group, I figured I would put the hurt on. I pulled 98% of the 2nd lap. That 2% was a 4 when I pulled off to see if anyone would work. I jumped back into the group, but the speed dropped, so back I went to the front. Yup, CX bike pulling everyone down the road. I shredded the group of 4's down to 9 people. One 5 was left, but he was sitting in (aka mixed in with 4's) the whole race. With 1/2 mile to go, I noticed he was on my wheel. I sat up and let him work. He tried to pull, but I could tell he was tired 15sec later when his pwoer died. I jumped and went for it. Ya, then the 4's jumped and tried to bring me back. Schweet. So I went again and sprinted into the win.

It was short, and not even tiring. The 4's lap times were 28:XX, then 25:05 when I lead the loop, then 27:XX. I did not see the 1/2 times, but I put in the fastest lap of the day. Yee-ha! The rest of the 5's finished a bit back, mostly scattered.

Went home, grabbed the MTB, and went out for a 2.5hr ride to Milford and Proud Lake. Made the sunny, nice day even better. I like riding bikes!


I wonder if they will upgrade me yet? I really don't think it's fair for me to race with the 5's. Next race is Kensington Rd race. I will likely do Waterford before that. Waterford rocks. Race whatever Cat you want and racing is hard and aggressive. Just try and stay on DC's wheel. Fun and pain.

Waterford Hills Thursday Races

Results May 1, 2008

A Race - 90 Minutes +2laps

32 Riders in the field

1. Terry Palmer - Essex Brass
2. Luke Calender - WSC
3. Cory Dubrish - WSC
4. Brent Steinburg - Kona
5. Anthony Bruley - O2/Cad
6. Ray Dybowski - WSC
7. Greg Kuhn - Team Fraser
8. Don Cameron - Specialized
9. Todd "Flying" Frerichs - FRCC
10. Bill Gilboe - Prestige Cycles
11. Dan Klein - WSC
12. Tim Saari - Essex Brass
13. Rich Russell - Essex Brass
14. Robert Herriman - WSC
15. Paul Eddleston

That was fun.