2016 Crosswinds Classic

     I have often lamented that the Crosswinds Classic bike race held at the end of February every year never seems to live up to its name. This year, however, it did not disappoint. With wind speeds reaching well over 20 MPH on Sunday, February 28th, 2016, on an exposed race circuit, the wind, would indeed, be a major factor in the outcome of this edition of the race. OKC Velo lined up with six guys in a field of close to 40 racers in the Pro,1,2,3 event. All of my teammates are well into our 40's or 50's with one exception, and he is 37, so hopefully experience would prove to be advantageous!
     The wind was out of the SSW so we knew the stronger riders would force the issue in the crosswind section of the race. There, drafting becomes impossible with the wind coming from left to right. Prior to hitting that section of the course, my teammate, Frank Jakofcich, went up the road with Memphis rider, Bryant Funston. When they took the right turn entering the crosswind section they had around a 15 second lead, but it wouldn't last long as Patrick Walle from Nashville went to the front and poured on the coals. I had determined from a few earlier efforts from Patrick, that he was one to watch, so I quickly grabbed his wheel as we blasted down the far right hand edge of the road.
     As predicted, there was little to no draft, and as a result the peloton was stretched out single file with guys literally riding in the grass and gravel trying to get far enough to the right to get just the smallest draft. We quickly overtook Frank and Bryant and were going well over 30 MPH so the group was coming apart behind, with gaps opening all the way down the line. When we finally turned right into the tailwind section, the damage had been done, and we were down to only six riders. Fortunately, I had made the split along with teammate, Tony Steward. As soon as we turned Patrick took one more hard pull and then flicked me through for a turn. All of us worked hard down that stretch, but amazingly, a huge bull of a man, Will Frank, came across to the group by himself creating a group of seven.

Not long after the Break was Established

     Not long after the next right hand turn, one of the guys came off of our break leaving us with six guys, all of whom did equal work for the next 50 miles. Our gap to the field behind eventually went out to 5 minutes as a result of our very consistent pace. With 20 miles left in the race it was apparent that the wind and pace were taking their toll on our group and I began to wonder when the attacks would come.
     As we took the final turn down the tailwind section with about 8-10K left to the finish, Patrick Walle attacked. As he was the person upon whom I was most focused, I reacted quickly to get his wheel. That violent acceleration left all other riders behind and Patrick tried to get me to come through and take a pull. Other than the fact that I was totally gassed, I liked my chances in the sprint, and elected not to help him stay away from the other riders. It turned out to be a good decision because it allowed Tony to re join the group along with a Sound Pony rider. Patrick attacked a few more times with the same result each time. He would drop the other guys, but still have me holding on to his wheel like a pit bull with a bone. Once he would realize he had not dropped me, he would ease up, letting the Sound Pony rider back on, and then a little later, Tony.
     At 1K to go Tony took a flyer by himself and quickly got a nice gap. In fact, I thought he had a winning gap until the Sound Pony rider began to track him down. With about 300 meters to go Patrick jumped and I opened up my sprint full gas knowing the tailwind would shorten the trip to the line. With a max speed of 42 MPH in the tailwind I was able to get a gap on Patrick and take the win with Tony hanging on for 3rd place just behind Patrick. It was a great result for OKC Velo and a pretty satisfying win for me given the level of competition, and my rather advanced age! Making the victory even sweeter was the fact that my son, Evan East, had won the race the year before, thereby keeping the trophy in the family. The Crosswinds Classic is an awesome early season race, promoted by a fantastic organization; Central Arkansas Velo. It is a race that everyone should have on their bucket list. Hopefully, I will be around to do it again next year! Thanks for reading.

Happy for the Win!

   

The P1,2,3 Podium Crosswinds Classic 2016

Prospecting for Gold in Utah

     I read recently where Peter Sagan said that it was difficult for him to express how he felt having won the world championship road race. He just said the feeling was indescribable and incredible. He did say that it was the biggest win of his career so far and that is really saying something given his stellar record. I only mention this because people have been asking me the same thing recently, "How does it feel to be the National Champion?". OK, so my Masters Nationals Championship gold medal isn't even in the same Universe as Sagan's achievement, but it is an achievement about which I have trouble expressing how it makes me feel. I can definitely say it was the most important win I have ever had. For us amateur hacks here in the USA there really isn't another title more coveted than to win a National Championship in your respective field and in your respective specialty, whether it be the time trial, road race, criterium, cyclocross, or whatever. I don't care if your specialty is checkers or tiddly winks, if you win the National Championship you have accomplished something special. My initial emotion immediately after crossing the finish line in 1st place in the 50-54 Criterium was an incredible sense of relief. I think that emotion slowly evolved into elation, then finally, appreciation for all the work that it took to get there, and for all the people that helped me along the way.

     My burning desire to win a National Championship started way back in 1996 which is the first time I lined up to see how I would fare against the best amateurs in the country in the 30-34 age group. I got 5th in the crit but it lit the fire to someday be able to win. I went back probably seven times over the next 20 years and landed on every step of the podium but the top one. So, for 19 years I could only come close, but I could never win. Maybe that's why it was so incredibly special for me to finally get it done. In fact, I remember yelling a few times after crossing the line that Saturday in Ogden, Utah, "Finally", "Finally"! The feeling really is indescribable, so at least in that sense, I know how Peter Sagan feels!

The Podium

     The 2015 season was a fun one for me. I had some good results, but more importantly, I got to spend time and develop relationships with my son and great friends. Initially, I had decided that I was not even going to go to Nationals this year. I had raced since January and the prospect of trying to stay fit through a hot summer in Arkansas was just not something I looked forward to. After an unexpected good result at the Elite Nationals Road Race in June, I began to ponder the possibilities , but eventually decided I wasn't going to put the Masters Race on the calendar. Fast forward to the Hotter'n Hell Road Race and Crit in late August where I got 2nd in the Road Race and 1st in the crit, and I started to reconsider my decision. With Masters Nationals being scheduled for September 9-12, I thought I could try to just coast on the form that I had at Hotter'n Hell and at the last minute decided to give it another go!

     I arrived in Ogden, Utah on Thursday morning, September 10th,  at 2:30 A.M. after some major flight issues. The road race wasn't until 3:00 P.M. but my pre race regimen was a little less than ideal having gotten to bed so late. I also did exactly what I said I would not do and got myself into two or three breakaway's before the climb at the end of the race, thus sealing my fate. I ended up with a terrible result but I really wasn't to surprised given how everything played out before and during the race. The result, however, did not exactly boost my confidence for the crit on Saturday which is typically my best event. It took a good pep talk from my good friend Curtis Tolson to get me out of my funk.

     I picked up Curtis at the airport in Salt Lake City on Friday morning as he was only racing the crit on Saturday. I gave him the full download on the road race and expressed how bummed I was about how awful I felt. He just kept telling me over and over that I could win the crit and not to worry about it. Since Curtis and I are such good friends I knew a certain part of his encouragement was just him being a good guy, but I could also sense a certain level of conviction in his voice. It made me feel a little better about my chances but I was still really worried given how terrible I felt in the road race. We would both find out soon enough as the crit was at 1:00 the next day.

     When Curtis and I got to the crit course and started warming up, I saw Brendan Sullivan who had won the time trial the previous Wednesday. He had also won the road race in our group the previous two years in a row so I knew he was a super strong boy. He knew who I was because he had finished one place behind me in the Elite Nationals road race in which we had both participated in June. It was a fortuitous conversation because he told both me and Curtis that if he was not in a break late in the race he would do all he could to help the two of us as he is not a sprinter. At the time I really didn't think much of it because it is rare at Nationals to have someone sacrifice their race for a teammate, much less an acquaintance! 

     The race started and within five laps a large break of seven guys had gotten off the front with a small gap. I really wasn't that worried initially as there was still lots of horse power left in the field. After several laps, however, the gap went out to 20 seconds, then 30, then 45 at its maximum. At one point I tried to bridge across with one of the strongest guys in the field, a guy named Kevin Metcalf. Kevin has won National Championships in the time trial so when he went after the break I went with him. When we went the field panicked and after four laps of chasing it all came back together but we had gotten the gap to the lead break back down to 25 seconds. Unfortunately, with only seven laps to go, the gap had gone back out to 35 seconds and I truly thought the race was over and that I was racing for 8th place. That's when I saw Brendan Sullivan come to the front!

     Brendan calmly took the pace up to about 29 MPH. I was second wheel with 60 guys strung out single file behind me. With six to go the gap was down to 30 seconds, five to go, 25 seconds, .... I kept thinking that any second Brendan would pull over and flick his elbow indicating he was done and for someone else to take over the chase. He never did, and with four laps to go the gap was down to 20 seconds. He kept going.... three to go 15 seconds and with two to go the gap was only 10 seconds and Brendan pulled off knowing the field would pounce on such a small gap. First one guy jumped then another, I got that guy's wheel and took a free ride across the 10 second gap. It was all back together with only 1 1/2 laps to go!  As soon as we tagged onto the back of the lead break I came around and slotted into about 4th wheel. I got lucky in that a Hammer nutrition rider representing the team with the most teammates in the race was on the front and he ratcheted up the pace leading out one of his sprinters.... perfect for me as I was able to get totally recovered from the effort to jump across the last 10 seconds to the original lead break. 

     When we came through the start/finish with only one lap to go everything became very clear and focused. The pace was high enough to discourage attacks and I had gotten myself into a winning position. I knew I didn't want duke out the sprint with some of the big 190 pounders through the last two corners so I gambled and launched my sprint from about 600 meters out with three corners to go. I jumped really hard with about 50 meters to the first of three corners to go and when I came out of that corner I opened up full gas to the next turn. From there it was 200 meters to the last corner so I sprinted to that turn as if it were the finish line. Upon reaching the last corner I knew I had a winning gap and sprinted the last 150 meters to the line. I couldn't believe it. I had finally won a National Championship. The feeling as I mentioned above....  was indescribable. 

     Curtis found me immediately and nearly tackled me with a bear hug! I told him how happy I was that he was there to share the moment with me. He later confessed that he knew he wasn't fit enough to compete for a podium spot but that when he thought about not coming, the only reason he didn't back out was that he was so confident I could win. He knew he didn't want me to be there alone if I did. I will never forget that gesture from a guy that normally would have been competing for the win himself. Curtis has close to 40 National Championship titles on the track that he has accumulated through the years so he is always a force to reckoned with in a criterium. The fact that he would travel 1000 miles simply to be there for a friend, even though he knew he would not perform to his standards, speaks to his character and why so many think so highly of him. The next person I sought out was Brendan Sullivan. I found him and gave him a bear hug and thanked him for laying it down for over 12 minutes at 29 MPH to catch the break, which is what allowed me to win. I bought him a beer and a slice of pizza later, a small price to pay for the services rendered!  

     The 2015 Masters Nationals criterium was indeed a special moment for me. Even though the feeling was indescribable, I hope I at least provided a small glimpse into the emotions stirred by the single biggest win of my rather long bike racing experience. Thanks for reading!

Finally!

     

       

2015 Elite Nationals Road Race and a Huge Black Bear

I haven't posted anything in quite a while because I guess I just didn't think I had anything to say that others might care to read. This post will probably also fall into that category but I feel compelled to write a little blurb for the sake of posterity. I flew out to Lake Tahoe, California on Tuesday, June 23rd to watch my son, Evan East, race the Junior Nationals Road Race on Wednesday, and the Time Trial on Friday. Evan would race a 75 mile out and back course at 11:00 Wednesday morning, and since I was there anyway, I would hop in the Elite Race at 3:00 that same afternoon which would be 103 miles out and back. My race would include many of the top Cat 1's in the country so I really had no aspirations, especially on a course that was as brutally hard as this year's edition of the National Championship proved to be.

I had my whole family in Lake Tahoe, including my Dad and Step Mom. We all loaded up in the mini van Wednesday morning to drive up to the top off the first big mountain to watch the boys come over the top. When they finally came into view it was apparent that a group of ten had broken away from the peloton and Evan was not in it. I was concerned because I had recognized a couple of the stronger riders in the break and they already had two minutes on the rest of the field. Once they passed we hopped back in the Swagger Wagon (minivan) and headed to the finish line. We had a nice lunch at a restaurant close by and then made our way to the finish area for the anticipated finish around 2:00. The announcer said their were two guys off the front with six guys chasing and the field further back. We had no idea where Evan was at that point. After watching several of the top places come across the line, (including Evan's teammate Micah Milne in 5th!), we began to worry. We finally saw Evan and he came across the line in 32nd place. He was disappointed as he was expected to be a top ten and possibly even a podium finisher. He had spent basically the entire month of May racing in Europe and was just "cracked" upon his return to the states. He unfortunately never regained the form that carried him to a 1st place GC in the Category 1,2 race at the Joe Martin Stage Race, held right before he left for Europe. He was in Europe for a month to race with the US National Team in five races in the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Belgium. While he was very disappointed about his performance at Nationals, he has had a fantastic season overall.

The Elite National Road Race started not even one hour after the Juniors finished their race. Unlike races where I am expecting a decent result, I was completely calm and at ease. I had no support from the standpoint of getting water hand ups so that was really the only thing about which I was apprehensive. It was unseasonably warm, over 90 degrees and close to 100 down in the valley into which we would descend after the day's first climb, so getting enough water during the course of 103 miles was my major concern. The race started where it would finish which was in the ski resort of Northstar in the Lake Tahoe area. We would descend off that mountain then climb up and over another mountain, then once in the valley on the other side of the pass, we would make a large loop then climb back up the other side which was a 7.5 mile climb, then descend back down into the town of Truckee, Ca., then climb back up to the finish in Northstar. It would prove to be the hardest course I have ever raced when combining the terrain and the conditions.

After the neutral start of about 3K down the steepest part of the descent the race started full tilt down a fairly steep descent into Truckee. I was initially positioned toward the front but with every one of the 130 or so starters trying to be in the front down the long straight hill I started drifting backwards as the speeds approached 55 MPH and we were packed together like sardines in a can. I don't mind fast descents, and even consider myself fairly competent at the discipline, but I will admit that I was scared shitless in that situation. Until that point there had just not been any hard racing to spread the field out before the hairball descent. Once we hit the bottom things calmed down a little and I was able to settle in and re-position towards the front before staring the climb up and over the pass. I was pleasantly surprised not to be under much pressure up the first part of the climb. There were enough riders to let others absorb accelerations and to be able to ride a consistent pace. About five miles before the top where the first feed zone was located I found myself in a six man break that got close to a 45 second gap on the field… up a climb! I knew then I was on a good day but still decided to ride conservatively and put very little effort into the break. As we crested the top of the climb I was literally begging for water but no one would give me a bottle. Towards the end of the long line a nice lady finally gave me a small bottle of water with a screw top. Better than nothing but I needed a lot more water if I hoped to even finish the race.

As the small breakaway group began the descent down into the large valley, the rest of the pack started bearing down on us quickly. It wasn't long before we were reabsorbed but at least I was in the front of the of the long single file line. Towards the bottom of the 7.5 mile long descent I noticed that one team, Mike's Bikes, had gathered at the front. It seemed they were very purposely keeping the pace high down the last part of the descent and I decided they were going to try to control the race in the crosswinds that would possibly exist in the large valley below. I was right, as we entered the valley the wind picked up and immediately upon making a turn where the winds were across the road they put it in the gutter. For a long time I was able to find a draft by riding on the extreme edge of the road. Behind me was carnage. Over half the field was dropped after only ten minutes or less in the very strong crosswinds. After another ten minutes I was in a select group of only about 30 riders but I was under pressure as I was no longer able to draft. The wind was cross tail so we were going about 34 MPH for what seemed like an eternity. The guy in front of me, Evan Bybee, finally popped. I urged him to fight back on but he convinced me to drift back to the next chase where we could get in an echelon and get a draft. Once we were in the echelon it was so much easier as were were able to rotate through and get a draft. We kept the front group within close reach and then, just like on TV, a rail road crossing barricade dropped and the entire front group came to a halt in front of us! The barricades were only down for a minute but in that time a group of about 60 reassembled.

By now, we had turned back toward the mountain and the crosswind had turned to a headwind and our group stayed together until the climb began. The other factor besides the wind was the heat! All of the major teams had vehicle support and guys were dropping back to the cars and collecting water for their stronger riders. I was completely out of water and was literally begging for bottles from anyone that had access to it. One guy on Elbowz gave me a bottle and I have never been so grateful. I found him after the race and told him he may have saved my life! As the climb began, a group of about 35 or so began to to separate from the rest. While I didn't make that front group, I found myself in the second group up the climb and ended up in a six man split, including my Louisiana buddy Johnny Brizzard, that rode away from the larger group. At this point I was encouraged that there were close to 100 guys behind me. I never imagined I would find myself in such a position and I was determined to keep it. An Arapahoe rider in my group dropped back and got an ice cold can of coke and gave me about half of it. Another life saver! Before the top of the climb we looked up to see a large black bear in the middle of the road! As we got closer it became apparent that he had been hit by a car and he was injured and quite agitated. He was also huge. I would estimate between 500-600 lbs! When we got even with him we skirted around him on the far left side of the road. The poor thing finally scrambled up the embankment so we didn't get eaten at mile 80 as I feared might happen!

Once we began the descent we all worked together to try and stay away from any chasers. Unfortunately, about 20 guys rejoined us towards the bottom before we got back to Truckee. I was thinking that I would now be lucky to finish in the middle of this group which would probably put me in the top 50. As it turned out, I was able to stay with a couple of the stronger guys in the group and held on for 37th place. I was very happy with that result considering I really didn't think I could even finish the race given the distance and the amount of climbing, not to mention the competition! I think the thing I really appreciated the most is that I have always considered myself more of a crit rider, without the physiology necessary to hang with the best in harder road races, especially if there is any real climbing. This result proved to me that we shouldn't pigeon hole ourselves into only being able to do this or that. Start every race knowing that anything can happen. You might end up having the race of your life on any given day and get a result you never expected! If you made it this far, thanks for reading!

Exhausted After 103 Miles

Age and the Art of Mental and Physical Maintenance

     Most people know I am an avid cyclist and have been for almost thirty years. It seems, however, that over the course of the last five or six years I have come to appreciate the sport even more than I did before. I think the reason is that I have begun to recognize what it has done for me both mentally and physically as I age. There are certain unavoidable consequences involved in the aging process. We lose our eyesight, our energy levels decrease, we gain weight if we even look at the wrong foods, our memory doesn't seem to be as good as it once was, and a host of other issues that, frankly, we would change if we could. The good news is that we can have some control over this process by slowing it through diet and exercise.

Fighting Father Time one mile at a time!

     What I have noticed as I have gotten older is that I can still get really fit. It takes a little longer, and I have to be more committed to a clean diet, but I can ultimately get as fit as I ever could. Just having the knowledge that it is possible is half the battle. I think so many people my age (50) literally throw in the towel assuming that they are past the point of being able to reach a decent level of fitness. Once they throw in that towel, many fall into bad habits of drinking to much, eating bad foods, being sedentary, and literally hastening the aging process as opposed to slowing it.

     The benefits of staying fit and healthy at this point in our lives are significant. Some examples are that I sleep better, I feel I am able to stay focused longer, I have more energy, my self confidence improves, my general sense of well being improves, the bags and age circles under my eyes diminish along with other physical benefits, and I am just generally happier!

     So, while I am still driven to excel by the competition, there is now another force that drives me that has become even more motivating. I feel very lucky and fortunate to have found a physical activity that I love as much as the simple act of riding a bike, especially given all of the incredible
benefits it provides us that are trying to stay one step ahead of father time! Good luck and thanks for reading.

Some Personal History and the 2013 Edition of Master Nationals

     I remember thinking to myself, years ago, that I would be lucky to achieve the results in the upcoming season that I had achieved in the previous season. The year was 1996 and I had just capped off an awesome year racing for the "Walmart Elite Team". We had twelve Cat 1 & Cat 2 riders, all of which hailed from Arkansas. We had a $50,000 budget, a team van, bikes, and training programs provided by the cycling guru, Joe Friel. It was as close to a "Pro" team as I would ever get. I had a lot of fun that year but I also put quite a bit of pressure on myself to achieve results. After the season ended, I was asking myself how I was going to possibly take the next step in terms of achieving even better results, given the fact that I had a house, a full time job, not to mention a serious relationship with the women I would end up marrying, I felt the chances of improving were nil. I ultimately decided not to race the next year simply because I would not be able to continue my progression without quitting my job, and then, either trying to go pro, or at least training like a pro.

     I think it was two years later that I hopped in a couple of local crits, thus reigniting my passion for racing. Soon after that, I started a team called the "Used 2 Bees". As we added members that did not necessarily fit that description, we changed the name to Central Arkansas Velo, or CARVE, now arguably the largest cycling club in the state. Back then I raised all of the money for our annual budget of $15,000. I was fortunate to have friends interested in cycling that ran successful businesses, and helped chip in for the sponsorship. We had a great group of guys that traveled and raced together to most of the regional races. Starting in 1999, and then well into the 2000's, I raced mostly Masters races and still placed a great deal of pressure on myself to achieve good results. It was interesting that some years were better than others in terms of results, and that my level of satisfaction seemed to be tied to how well my season went. Ultimately, life would win out and my ability to train would diminish with kid's activities, work responsibilities etc... In 2007 I passed the reins of running CARVE to Pat Barron at the Chainwheel. Pat wisely created a panel of Officers responsible for running the team. My interest in racing again waned until around 2010 when my son, Evan, started riding. Sometime between then and now, I had an epiphany!

     As I started racing and riding more, especially with Evan, I began focusing less on results, and more on the journey. I learned to enjoy my training rides with friends more, to enjoy the travel with friends to various events, to have a greater appreciation for the camaraderie that exist with all the great people with whom I associated while training and racing. As I consciously started focusing on this wonderful journey, and always trying to appreciate every little pleasure during the "process", a funny thing happened, I got stronger than ever! By simply trying to live in the moment, and not be so focused on setting goals for specific races out in the future, the pressure was lifted and the joy of simply riding my bike with friends and family replaced the previous attitude of doggedly pursuing a goal. I don't completely understand why I was able to get stronger after adopting this new philosophy, but I have to believe that it has something to do with eliminating what can be a very stressful way of living life. Without that constant stress and pressure I had always put on myself, the results were better than they had ever been. Why did it take me until I was nearly 50 years old to figure this out? I am sure many of you reading this figured this little secret out a long time ago. I guess it is as simple as the old adage of  "Stop and smell the roses", and other little sayings that encourage us to live in the moment.

     Now, having said all that, it's not always so simple to do. Try as I might, I still fall into old, very natural habits, and will obsess over some particular vision of the future I want to occur. And while I think I did a pretty good job of just enjoying the ride most of the last few racing seasons, I failed miserably when it came to this year's Masters Nationals race. Early in the year it was not even something I planned on doing because it was too late in the year (Sept. 7th), past the time I usually slow down and do other things. I decided in early July to go ahead and do the criterium, and that's exactly when the pressure started. I had been riding so well, that I began to visualize actually wining a National Champions jersey, something I have wanted ever since I started racing. With one near miss in 2006 where I got 2nd place in the Criterium at Nationals, I wanted to win this one! I started training as hard as I ever had before, eating as healthy as I had ever eaten, missing various activities with friends and family just so I could stay on the exact path that I had visualized that I felt would allow me to achieve this "goal" of winning a championship. As the event drew closer, the pressure mounted, and I actually started looking more forward to the event being over, than the event itself! That's messed up! Talking about reverting back to my old ways, I had literally thrown my new found philosophy out the window and was totally obsessed with the achievement of one goal, at the absolute exclusion of enjoying anything about the process of getting there!

     By the time I got to Oregon, I was so anxious and nervous about the race, that I literally was counting the hours until it was over. The day finally came and as soon as we started the race, I had this huge sense of relief. I was able to stay in the front of the 65 man field relatively easily, but I was still amazed at how many strong guys there were driving the pace. As we came through the start/finish with one lap to go I was sitting 3rd wheel feeling really good about my chances. Somewhere on the back side of the course, there was a huge attack up the right side of the single file line. It was the leadout train for the eventual winner, along with several guys that had jumped on the back for the armchair ride to the last corner. All of a sudden I was 12th wheel with three corners to go, further back than I had been the entire race! I had no choice but to get in the wind and start my sprint with about 500 meters to go, I dove the inside of the next two corners and came out of the last corner in 7th place, but was only able to move up to 3rd place by the finish. Had I been anywhere in the leadout that came around me on the back side, I may have been able to compete for the win.

     All that pressure and anxiety, and I still did not achieve the goal. Was it worth it? The answer is absolutely not. Had I treated it like every other race of the year, and gotten 3rd, I probably would have been ecstatic. The sad truth is that I was very disappointed given my aspirations. I wish I would have enjoyed the process more, focused more on all the positive ancillary elements associated with preparing for such a "big" race as Nationals. I guess I'm still learning. I don't think I will ever approach Nationals again with such an "all in" attitude. I would like to think I can adjust my approach to more closely resemble literally every other race of the year. I know that if I ever decide to race Nationals again, it needs to be on those terms. I guess I'm an old dog that's still learning new tricks! Live for the moment and don't obsess over your vision of the future! Those words are appropriate for every area in our live's. Thanks for reading.

   

An Awesome Year on the Bike

     Well, I didn't post a race report for many of the races I did this year, maybe because they were so numerous it would have been difficult to keep up. It turned out to be a great season of racing for many reasons, however, so I will just hit a few highlights.

     At close to 40 races, I think I may have set a personal record for the number of times I lined up this year. I also competed in several races that I have never done before and that definitely added to the overall quality of the season. I think I will endeavor to add new races to the calendar every year, even at the expense of the one's I normally do. Evan and I traveled and raced together several times this year as well, an experience that very few fathers and sons are able to have together. It is hard to describe how fortunate I feel to be able race at a high level at my advanced age, and the cherry on top is racing with my young son who is also capable of racing in the Pro 1,2 races and even being competitive in some of them. Jd McCay was also with us most of the time and the three of us were able to spend many hours in the RV solving the riddles of life.

     One of the races in which we raced together was a stage race in Louisiana. We both raced in the 1,2,3 race and Evan made the lead break in the Road Race and finished 4th. He then got 4th in the TT which put him in 1st place GC (overall) going into the crit! I was over the moon happy for Evan as that race really validated all of the hard work and sacrifice he has invested into the sport. I can tell you that there were some very surprised Cat 1's to have a 16 year old Cat 3 leading after the two most difficult stages. We went into the crit with a plan to try and protect his overall lead but it was not to be. He lost his 1st place but he made an indelible impression on all the participants in the race. I was also very proud of the humble manner in which he handled all of the attention.

     Later in the year we raced an incredibly difficult circuit race called the Crawdad Kermesse. I raced in the Masters race earlier in the day and only managed 4th place in a very hard, very hot circuit race. I then signed up for the 1,2,3 race in which Evan would be competing. I didn't really feel like I would be able to finish it because I was exhausted, but I hoped I might be able to help Evan somehow before abandoning the race. On the very first lap, a small group got off the front that I knew would stay away because the largest team was represented. I yelled at Evan to go with it but he hesitated and they immediately established a gap. It quickly became apparent that there was little interest in chasing the break and their lead continued to increase. I decided to go to the front and try to bring the break back close enough for Evan to bridge across either solo or with another rider. I sat on the front for the remainder of the first lap, putting myself into severe oxygen debt, but bringing the break back to about 20 seconds right at the base of the big climb at the beginning of the 2nd lap. To my delight Evan and one other strong rider launched an attack to bridge to the break and they very quickly made it across. My day was done at that point but Evan went on to win the race with a daring last lap attack that saw him ride in alone for the win. I don't remember ever being so proud of him as at that moment.

     Not long after the Crawdad Kermesse we traveled to Oklahoma City to race in the OKC Pro Am. We both doubled up on Saturday as I raced and won the Masters Race and then later,  entered the Pro 1,2; and he raced the 2,3 race, and then the Pro 1,2. The P 1,2 race was a night time crit with about 65 guys racing. In just the 3rd lap we came around a downhill corner to see a car directly in our path. The peloton veered immediately left and right in an effort to miss the car and the lead moto, which had stopped in front of the car. I barely made it past the car when I heard a terrible crash behind me. I somehow intuitively knew it was Evan. I yelled at no one in particular "was that my son?", and heard the terrible answer from some unidentified rider in the group, "dude, that was your son". I immediately did a U-turn and rode back to the scene to see Evan screaming and writhing in pain in front of the car. He had hit the motorcycle going close to 28 MPH and I was scared to death that he had internal injuries. While I had visions of a ruptured spleen, torn aorta, and assortment of other horrible possibilities, I was incredibly relieved to find out that his knee seemed to be what was causing him the most pain. He had hit his leg on the motorcycle and also hit his ribs very hard on the asphalt after launching high into the air after hitting the moto. He turned out to be very beat up, but without any long lasting or serious injury. We were very lucky that night!

Evan after Winning Crawdad Kermesse

     It took Evan almost a month to completely recover, and as a result, he missed what is now my favorite race on the calendar, Tulsa Tough. This year I got 2nd place on Saturday in a 75 man field against a beast of a man, Bret Crosby. Brett races for Elbowz out of Dallas and is a National Champion. I was very upset with myself for not winning that race as I made a big mistake to lose it. I am fine with losing if there is nothing I could have done different in a race, but I was furious with myself knowing I let a big one go by not being in the right position out of the last corner to win out of the four man break. The next day on the Cry Baby Hill course I only managed 5th, but was OK with the finish given how the race played out. The race has become the best organized, best attended, and most fun race on the calendar. The party on Sunday on the Cry Baby Hill course has no equal in the world of bike racing and I plan on being in attendance for years to come

The Cry Baby Hill Party in Full Swing

.

    I closed out the year by winning our local criterium series which was a blast this year, and then also winning the Star Spangled Criterium. I was happy to be able to win these events in the 1,2,3 category which at 50 is getting harder! We have so many talented juniors racing now and I really enjoyed sharing some experience with them, hopefully teaching them a thing or two in the process. Looking back on the year, I am proud of having worked hard to be fit, and racing very close to the best of my potential, if not above at times. I have never been one of the strongest, but have been able to have some success through a combination of hard work, some crafty riding, but mostly sheer will and determination. I am convinced the latter ends up being as important as just about any other factor in a race, and I love to see Evan, when I know he is suffering like a dog, but hanging onto stronger riders
with grit in his teeth and red in his eye. That will carry him a long way in this sport, and in life. Thanks for reading!

2013 Rouge Roubaix "The Hell of the South"

     "The Hell of the South".... that moniker truly fits the 2013 edition of the race known as Rouge Roubaix. The race is 106 miles long, 30 miles of which are over dirt roads! The race has the character and feel of a European one day classic. Specifically, it is incredibly similar to what is arguably the toughest one day classic in the world, Paris Roubaix, otherwise known as "The Hell of the North". Given the length of the race, combined with the relatively early date on the calendar, preparation for this race is critical. So....Evan East, JD McCay, Dave Grundfest, and I all loaded up in the RV on Saturday morning, March 9th, for the six hour trip to Saint Francisville, Louisiana. We have all been training hard for this race and the day had finally come to go down and test our legs against the course and our competitors.
     My team, OKC Velo, would have seven riders registered for the Masters 40+ race. People ask me all the time how Masters racing compares to the Cat 1,2 races in which I still sometimes compete. Given the fact that a high profile race like Rouge Roubaix attracts riders from around the country, there would be several Cat 1 and Cat 2 riders racing in the Masters race, making it very fast, but with a wide range of abilities, which means that only about half would have a realistic chance for a top 10 placing. JD and I were both in the Masters field of 60 riders, Evan raced the Cat 3,4 race which had around 75 participants, and Dave raced the 4,5 race which had the most riders with close to 80.
     As we lined up Sunday morning, I felt really confident that I had put in the work to be competitive in the race. I also know from past experience, however, that flats and mechanicals can end your race in a hurry, so a little luck always helps. The other thing that I have always dealt with is the length of the race. At 106 miles it is about an hour longer than I am really capable of being strong. I tend to lose about 20% of my power after three hours, or 75 miles of racing. From that point on, it is just survival, but every year I am always secretly hoping "maybe this year will be different"!
     The first 3 or 4 miles are neutral through the middle of town and then the lead vehicle pulls ahead signaling that it is time to race. The first dirt section came at 17 miles and things were relatively calm until about two miles before the turn. Just like Paris Roubaix, there is a race to be among the first onto the non paved sections of the race. I made my way towards the front and was fortunate to hit the greater than 90 degree turn sitting second wheel. The gravel was thick and very loose going into that turn and I watched as several guys had to unclip with one or two actually falling over. My teammate, Paul Bonds is 40 years old and lean as a rail. He is a nationally and internationally ranked cyclocross racer and his skills are tailor made for the dirt sections on the course. Immediately after the turn onto the dirt he went to the front and set an absolutely brutal tempo. Not only were we flying down this gravel road rarely going less than 25 MPH, but we were also doing it in loose, sandy soil that sapped the strength out of the legs much faster than normal. In all of the editions of this race I have ever done (7), the condition of the dirt roads was the worst ever! Just navigating the road in a straight line was difficult, and going around even the slightest curve in the road could cause the back end of the bike to come around if not ridden perfectly. After only one mile Paul and one other rider had a large gap back to an already small group. I suggested we wait on the small group knowing we would need the horsepower once we came back out on the black top. I had no desire to ride the next 80 miles with only three guys. Once the small group got up to us we put the hammer back down again. Paul and I traded pulls at the front and we were quickly back down to only a handful of riders. Coming off the first dirt section there were probably ten guys, and we had three OKC Velo riders in the group, including JD!
     I was so happy JD had made the split that I slapped him on the ass maybe a little to enthusiastically. He grinned knowing I was congratulating him on making the, extremely difficult, first selection of the day. The next dirt section was only a few miles down the road and was one of the longest at close to seven miles (with a few very short paved sections included). Once on that section, Paul and I put the hammer down again. I must admit that I was having more fun than is typical in such a hard race. The combination of being able to put down enough watts to cause pain to so many, and also having the bike handling skills to negotiate the many hazards at speed, was so much more fun than being on the receiving end of the pain while barely able to stay in control, a condition I have also experienced many times!
     When we exited the second dirt section at mile 33, we were down to only six or eight guys. I was sick JD had not made the selection. He had gotten behind a crash and never could close the gap to get back in our group. The next 30 miles would be on pavement and the only goal was to go fast enough to stay ahead of any small groups chasing. It was around this point that I saw Evan riding along with Zack Smith. He had gotten a flat, and a very slow wheel change, as the wheel truck was over ten minutes behind him when he flatted. Evan hopped on the back of our group and actually made every selection with us over the next 75 miles to actually finish slightly ahead of my group. As our group rolled along, everyone did their share of the work, but it was apparent that the loose sandy conditions had taken its toll on all of us. There were no attacks at all, as everyone just wanted to get to the next dirt section at mile 65 with the group, knowing that the one mile long dirt climb at that point would explode the group anyway.
     About two miles before the turn, a guy finally attacked the group. I jumped to get across to him and only one other rider came with me leaving the others in the small group looking at one another to see who was going to tow them all up to the newly forming breakaway. The three of us had a nice gap as we turned onto the dirt section at mile 65 with the one mile climb just around the corner. At this point we were riding through the remnants of the Cat 3 race. I had no desire to be behind any of them on the climb as many of them would be forced to unclip after losing momentum in the sandy conditions. We successfully passed all of the Cat 3's and hit the base of the climb where I figured the race would be won or lost. As we began the climb, one of my breakaway companions, Peter Beland from Little Rock, was able to stay with me, but the other guy, Mike brown from Dallas, came off the back. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that Evan had managed to stay with us to the top of the climb, but that none of the other Cat 3's we had ridden through were even in sight.
     Once we came over the top of the climb, I was amazed to see my teammate, Paul Bonds, ride up to Peter and me. He had bridged across the gap on the climb leaving all the other guys in the original small break in his wake. The next obstacle was one in which we were all familiar from having ridden the section the day before. It was a 60 yard long "sand trap" for lack of a better description. The sand was so loose that your tires sunk as much as 5 inches while trying to ride across. As a result, it took massive wattage just to stay upright. Paul and I made it across (as did Evan), but Peter and Mike both had to come off their bikes and walk. Paul and I then began to open a sizable gap on the other two riders. By the time we came on onto the paved road we had around a one minute gap on the chasing duo. We decided to put our heads down and ride. It was apparent very quickly that the first 75 miles of the race had taken their toll on my legs. I felt like I had lost about 20% of my normal power (my secret hopes were dashed) and was simply not able to maintain the pace that would have been required for us to stay away. It was not long until Peter and Mike came into view and it was apparent they were committed to an all out chase. Paul and I decided to slow and let them catch in order to spread the work for the next 30 miles.
     Once together, the four of us (Evan still with us!), began to roll through and worked together to stay away until the next dirt section which would come at mile 83. At this point we had a major headwind of between 17-23 MPH! The wind was brutal after what we had all been through, but the fact that the four of us were sharing the load meant we were probably making out better than the many guys riding by themselves or in smaller groups. As we turned onto the last dirt section we all knew what lay ahead. There is a steep climb at the beginning of the section that is difficult to climb in perfect conditions. On this day it was made virtually impossible due to the loose, sandy gravel and Mike and Peter came off their bikes about half way to the top. I made it just a little further, and Paul made it about three quarters of the way up. Peter and I would never see Paul again until the finish! Once at the top, I hooked up with Mike but Peter was now behind us. I stayed with Mike for about two more miles in spite of experiencing some major cramping. I finally came off his wheel up one of the last steep rollers on this last dirt section. Not long after that, Peter rode back up to me and we began to ride together hoping to bring back Mike. Once onto the paved road Peter and I just rode a steady pace, both realizing we were not going to catch Mike. At this point, I was absolutely cooked. I was giving Peter the occasional break, but he was doing the lion's share of the work. That last 10 miles seemed like 50! About four miles from the finish I pulled up alongside Peter and we rode side by side to the finish not wanting either one of us to have the advantage of the draft before the finish. Peter is a one hell of a bike racer and I have always respected his abilities, and as important, his sporting ethics. He jokingly asked if I was going to sprint him and I, of course said, "yes". I fully expected to lock completely up in the sprint to watch Peter ride ahead for 3rd place, but was surprised that the opposite occurred. It could have gone either way and I was just lucky to have gotten the last place on the podium.
     Ahead of us, Mike had actually bridged up to Paul and the two of them rode to the finish with Paul winning out in the sprint. I was super impressed with both Paul and Mike that day. Mike has amazing endurance and does not seem to lose much power over such a long distance. Paul was definitely the strong man on the day and deserved the win.

Five of seven Pirates celebrating our 1st and 3rd Place!

     Evan was able to finish 17th in spite of his flat tire early in the race, an impressive feat considering how many guys he passed over the 80 miles after he punctured. Dave Grundfest had a similar experiencing flatting early, but then riding super strong through most of his field to claw his way back to a top 20 placing. JD, unfortunately, experienced "full body cramps" where even his lips got stiff! He was forced to abandon around the 70 mile mark. Wes Wolfenburger provided support and a special thanks goes out to Wes for everything he did for all of us. He worked his tail off and just made the whole experience better for not only the four of us on the bus, but also all of my teammates on OKC Velo. In spite of multiple flats, we still had several Pirates finish in the top 20 of the Masters race. Having two of us on the podium, however, was really surprising and especially satisfying given the unusual difficulty of the 2013 edition of  "The Hell of the South"! Thanks for reading.