Vamos Como Motos

Better Late [and with pictures] than never....

Photo: Alejandro?

A full three days ago was.........no not a crit, but an action packed circuit race. The course? 60 miles on a big long straight with a 180 on each end. When I got to the race, the wind was blasting perpendicular to the course, so I thought it might get interesting (aka: difficult), but it somehow shifted 45 degrees as we started, and it was just full-headwind up one straight, and full tailwind on the other. Pretty star-studded field. Toyota heavy-dutiest crit-guys all in one race: Clarke, Rollin, Dominguez with Chepe and Manion to help. The R*ck racing A team with Hamilton lining up, and...the best part on the day: The "new" 5 Star Fish Vegetable Oil squad kitted out with new green kits and matching green Colnags and Zack Morris. Dope!

Photo: Stefan Mayer

Hmm...I didn't properly allude to it in the earlier paragraph, but the "action packed" bit was an attempt at sarcasm...as is most of this blog. It's worth noting that all but ONE race this year has had a full field. That's 125+ guys in each one. This is a first. SoCal brings out big fields, but full every single time? Madness...but a swell time. On to the report: Bearclaw had the whole squad out. 5 of us. I wrongly assumed it would be hard as hell given the wind conditions, but like I said, it changed, and ended up being 125 REALLY fresh guys rounding a 180 for the sprint. Dumb-move of the day goes to me: I rode to the race, and needed a bottle. After bothering teammates for some sugary energy drink powder, I got some. Put the powder in the bottle with the intention of filling it with water near the start line....Nope. One bottle of juice, one of congealed powder grossness.

The race was dull. Breaks didn't get more than 20 seconds because it was just impossible with the headwind followed by the push that tailwind gave the peleton. It was 40mph everytime through there. One interesting tidbit: On the second lap there was a crash on the fast tailwind section. Almost instantly, one of the crashed riders (Rock) got up, and started doing what appeared to be jumping jacks right in the middle of a 40mph peleton. Yup. A couple more crashes and failed attack attempts later, the last lap came, and like I said, EVERYONE wanted it...and was fresh enough to make a go. I was really hoping Rock would string it out...Rock, with it's 20 riders in the field, had every one of their riders up front with half a lap to go (each lap is 6 miles?). Pace was really slow though, and they weren't drilling it at all....just looking at each other with blank faces. I was behind the toyota guys at this point, trying to mark Rollin (who I incessantly bother with my not-perfect Francais). Of course, I lost them in the final 180, but wound up about 10 wheels back on the wheel of my teammate. I told him I'm on, but before he could uncork a sprint, madness ensued, brakes were hit. Ahhh, well. I hit the brakes LOTS in that last 2 K's....that's what happens when it's 20-wide with 2 k to go. Finished somewhere between 20-30th. The most reassuring thing, however, is that every one of my teammates was there at the finish. A bit of communication and coordination and the Claw will get something going....I can't wait 'till it's a more breakaway-friendly course to have 4 guys shutting things down in back. Power file from the race:

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