Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series - IV & V

The race last night (four of five) was cancelled because of rain. I can't make it to the race next week, because of my teaching schedule. More in a few weeks.

The Beer Question

Any suggestions...

Tour de Schenectady

To preface, I don't mean to monopolize the blog... the Tour de Schenectady was Saturday, filled with benefit rides of all sorts going towards the Schenectady Cancer Foundation. A short road ride of 15 miles, a long road ride of 55 miles and a 12 mile MTB race held in Schenectady's Central Park. I originally was on the fence about riding any of these for a variety of reasons. But, ultimately decided to do the MTB race. This event was organized by the same group doing the Tuesday series, with the exact same race location and format. I went for it, thinking I could get in a solid weekend training ride and maybe make some progress with technical features.

When I showed up, I was surprised by how few riders were there. It was a super nice day; 67 degrees, sunny and a light breeze. Trails were in perfect shape, dry and packed down. Who wouldn't want to ride on a Saturday with those conditions? When we went to line up, there were only about 10 riders, with very few of the 'regulars' from the Tuesday series.

The race starts and, oddly, I jump out in front and hit the trail with no one ahead of me. What is going on? I hit it really hard, just pumping as fast as I can. The whole pack behind me. This is the first time this has happened and I have to admit, I was surprised. I hit the first series of switchbacks and no one is near me. I start thinking maybe the race stopped or something, but keep riding. Then I see some riders, but they are way back. Okay, normally, when I start I'm following at least half a dozen riders and just fighting to keep up. I'm riding clean and hard through the first lap, completely solo - no one around me. It felt very weird to not have anyone in front of me. I come in with a solid first lap time - 23:30 - only 30 seconds off from my first lap Tuesday.

Going into the second lap, same thing, no one around me. I see guys through switchbacks every so often, but they are at least a minute back. I back off a little from my pace part way through so I don't blow out. I come in from the second lap and go out for the third. Same thing as the first two. I finish the third lap, feeling good... in first place overall. Weird. I've never won a MTB race and wouldn't say I'm that great of a rider to win. But, I guess I did. As a result, I get placed first in Pro category (more by default) and take home the loot. Gift card, water bottle, free lunch. But, best of all... I'm getting a free bike fit, a completely top to bottom service, from Plaine and Son Bike Shop. I'm so excited, I can't believe it.

I also realize that my time is a bit faster than Tuesday - 1:12. That's one minute shaved off my best time. My average speeds have been hovering around 9.6-9.8 for the 12 miles.

No pics yet, but there might be some coming later.

A Couple of Things........

I've been blog dormant for a while so here's a little update.  First, a couple new builds to clutter up the garage.




Second, our good friend Ingrid of IStudio took us out to ride some dirt bikes, the kind with engines. We went to her buddy Harper's (one of the coolest people I've ever met) place outside of Troy, 10 acres of fields, trails, and jumps. This was the first time David and I had ever ridden motorcycles so we were pretty excited. Ingrid brought her Kawasaki 250 four stroke, and Harper has a Honda 450 four stroke and a KTM 200 two stroke. They are both great teachers, super generous, and incredible riders.  I've got a few more good vids too but they're just too big to post.


Thank you so much Ingrid and Harper, we had a blast!

Dave suiting up

Chris

Ingrid

Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series - III

One step back, two steps forward. I had one of the best races last night; finishing sixth, with my best time ever - 1:11. I trimmed 5 minutes off my time from last week and moved up two spots in the overall rankings to 8th. I also had my best lap times - 23 minutes first lap, just under 24 minutes for the second lap and 24 for the third lap. This was the most consistent I've ridden in a long time. I, of course, still wrecked once and had a minor run-in with a tree. I can't seem to get one clean race without a dust up, but I'll take the time improvement.

First lap was super fast, with some really great, new riders. I started out about 8 or 9 riders back from first and felt good from the get go. I was trailing some really good riders throughout the first lap, all riding at a super quick pace. I was able to pass one or two (I don't remember) by the time that first lap was over. There was one spot in particular that a guy messed up on something, I passed him and then really cranked it out to separate from him. He was a good rider and I knew he'd likely pass me if I messed up or didn't push it. There were a few guys ahead of me that I could barely make out in the distance coming in from the first lap and I got super excited knowing I might catch them, coupled with realizing my lap time.

Halfway through the second lap, one rider wrecked bad and I moved up one spot. He has been a good, consistent rider throughout. So, I knew he would be on my tail. I ratcheted up my pace in this second lap, just trying to hold on. Soon after, I was yo-yo-ing with another rider ahead of me- catching up to him and then losing him.

Going into the third lap, I feel really good. Not as tired as what I had last week. I had two riders less than ten seconds behind me: the guy who wrecked and another guy who I passed in the first lap. I realized a quarter of the way through the third lap, I am 10-15 seconds behind four other riders. I didn't realize I was riding that close and try as hard as I can to close the gap. With riders so close ahead and behind, it really put an urgency on me not to lose my place. I come in from the third lap, super happy with my time and place. That post-ride Yeungling never tasted so good.

Pics:

Tongue Mountain/Graphite Mountain Road Ride

I had planned on riding another metric century on the 8th, but the race was cancelled. I didn't find out about the cancellation until the night before. So, in lieu of that race, this weekend I went on a road ride with a group of older gents (they were all in their 50s). I was invited by an acquaintance, Bill, I've gotten to know from a group I'm a part of - Toastmasters. We went up to the Adirondacks, near Lake George to go for a 45 mile 'climbing ride'. In those 45 miles, we climbed over 3,000 feet of elevation. Most of it happening within the first half of the ride. It ended up being a great day for riding, highs in the mid-80s and sunny.

The ride started out with a small hill and then dove down to a lake. We then got the real climbing on and I was all out. Most of the steeper sections I was out of the saddle, just to keep myself moving. Surprisingly, I like to climb - I really enjoyed these sections. They reminded me of the climbs in St. Charles I did with Stitz last year, except steeper and longer. Good stuff.

Regrouping after the first climb. Bill's 'younger' brother in the foreground - great rider, races a lot.

Me, at the Hague General Store after the first climb.

Bill - he is in his late-50s. He can outride me in most sections, insane.

The rest of the group, seven riders total. I felt like the young pup, but had a great time. I was wiped out by the end. Not being used to climbing really took its toll on me. I normally get in around 30-35 miles a ride now, so the distance wasn't that far off from what I normally do. But, add in the climbing and it's a whole other ride.

Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series - II

Last night was the second of five in the Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series. No rain this week - sunny, temps in the mid-80s. I was feeling really excited and warm up for about 20-30 minutes. When we line up to race, there are a few more racers than last week. We start and I get a good beginning place, about six or so racers back. The pace is super fast and I can tell right away I wasn't feeling great. I just felt off for whatever reason. I pass a few guys, a few guys pass me. I held my own through the better part of the first lap, sandwiched between two really good, fast riders. I mess up on a technical feature and those two guys shoot off, I'm alone for the last part of the first lap.

I come through, go out for the second lap and just try to get into a rhythm. I just can't seem to do it, I feel twitchy on the breaks and slow. I mess up on a few technical features, wreck twice and am just feeling all over the place. No reason, just my own inadequacies with riding. I try to pick up my pace and find some sort of consistency going into the third lap. I end up catching a guy right into the beginning of the third lap, but I wreck again and he loses me. Coming in from my last lap, I feel I gave it my all and couldn't have done much better. Looking at my time, I'm surprised and a bit relieved - 1:16 for 12.11 miles. Not bad for me. This is actually the same exact time I posted last season on the last race of that series. And my first lap is one of my faster times on these trails - 24 min. for 4.3 miles. I end up in ninth place for the night and fall a bit in the overall rankings to tenth place. One of my bigger goals going into this series was making some small improvements from last season. But, I guess these kinds of rides/nights come along and you just feel a bit off. I'm hoping that I can get into a groove next week.

A few pics....

Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series

Last night was the first of five races in the Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series. Format is three laps of four miles a piece, best time wins. It started pouring down rain about 45 minutes from the start time. It tapered off about five minutes before we were supposed to begin. We lined up to race and it looked extremely wet and muddy. I was already soaked from head to toe.

The race begins and we all funnel into the singletrack. A girl (no offense to any women readers) fell over and blocked me and some others from the trail. About 4-5 people got by on the other side of her, she picked herself up and we got going again. I can't say I would have held my own had this not happened, but it definitely put a damper on the start. I knew I was going to need to make up some time, just not sure I was up to it. It was super slick out and everyone seemed very twitchy. There was standing water everywhere. Every root and skinny plank was so slick, it was impossible to have any consistency or expectation about clearing anything. I just wanted to make it a goal not to wreck and have a good steady ride.

First lap through, I passed a couple of guys and made up a little bit of time. I felt good, but was sucking air because of the pace I was riding. End of the lap, I was in eighth place. Right in the middle, but not as high up as what I was hoping to be. Second lap in I backed off a little, but was keeping a good solid pace. No wrecks or slip ups. Coming in at the end of the second lap, another rider got into a bad wreck. He slipped on a root and fell over. He is a super good rider and always does well in these races. They halted the race completely for EMT to come through and pick him up. He ended up dislocating his ankle (ouch). As a result of this wreck they stopped the race completely for the night and counted just our first lap. I ended up less than a minute behind four riders, all separated from one another by one second. I had mostly caught up with the rider in front of me at the end of the second lap, but not sure if I could have caught him by the end. There's always next week.

Mud:

Race pics: