Biscotti Madness
- Thread starter Norm
- Start date
Not beat, smoked! You passed me on the switchbacks on lap 2. He did not pass me untill the last 10 min of the race and he only finished maybe 1min ahead of me. Other than you two, I dont think anyone else passed me. Weird because when you caught me, you thought he was ahead of you. Well whatever, nice work! I know if I can hold you off for the first lap at a race, then im having a good day.
woody
Well-Known Member
Norm knows LM so well he raced with his eyes closed:
http://gtluke.smugmug.com/gallery/8806423_ns6F2#583193281_NkdTH
Congrats again!
Glancing Aft
Active Member
Freaking amazing Norm! Nice job. So that's 2 for 2 with racing the single speed this year, ah?
Yup, with gears I finished at 5-2-4-2. No gears I won both. I don't know if I can justify KVSP on a SS. I think there are too many flats to get away with it. Hopefully I'll get to ride it tomorrow with the SS, then Thursday with gears. My geared bike is not put together yet, FedEx still hasn't delivered the goods yet.
So the race for me. The fruits of my "paralysis by analysis"...
I ate a huge breakfast, 2 actually, like they say you should. In all, 4 slices of toast, banana, apple butter, honey, and maple syrup - carb city. I had tried continuous eating before the Stewart race and it left me feeling a bit bloated, not really race ready. Yesterday I felt much better. Mass of carbs about 4 hours before the race, then nothing solid after that. Liquid calories before my warmup.
Warmed up with Fred, maybe 2/3 of a lap or so. Felt fine, HR was very responsive. Pushed it a little to warm it up and then we went back and got ready. The start was delayed which we expected, but not too much. Lined up in the class and saw some of the usual suspects - the guy who had won Tymor (Leo) and the guy who caught me and beat me at Stewart (Guillome).
Off the start 3 of us went out, Leo and Guillome, then me in 3rd. I guess this goes to show that spinning out rally isn't that big of a detriment at this park, even on the fire road. Another guy came up to us in the first climb, and Leo and this newcomer started to pull away. I stayed on Guillome's wheel to start. Up the first hill, then down, up the switchbacks. We could see Leo and the other guy, but they were going at a pretty good clip. My HR was off the charts to start so I needed to keep my pace and not totally blow out to try and keep them in sight.
Before the 3rd of the intro climbs Guillome told me to go past, so I did in an effort to keep them in sight. By the time I climbed that hill they were gone. So I fell into my pace and did my thing. Just keep pressing and chasing. I figured Leo was gone-gone because of the Tymor result and his history. But I was banking on the other guy blowing a gasket. I don't know who he was and he was wearing a Northeastern jersey, which I was unfamiliar with. So I had no idea what to expect.
I passed a ton of people and came in under 29 minutes on the first lap, but hit the lap button well after the pavilion. Probably something like 28:40. I dialed it down to pace myself again on the initial 3 climbs, which is a common mistake people make coming off the crazy fast lap finish. As always, I like having people on the course and enjoy the carrots to chase. I had no problems passing and made every one of them stick. A bit after the mid-point of lap 2, I lapped the first person, a woman who had actually parked next to us in the lot. She said there were only a handful of people ahead of me. But I knew 2 of them were in my class. Shortly after that I passed Janel, a Marty's rider who was slogging up that last steep climb of the lap. I tried to encourage all the people I passed.
At this point I knew I had passed the whole 30-34 class, as I had passed Utah Joe on the switchbacks to start lap 2 and the guy he was chasing a minute later. I had caught a guy who I new was often competitive in 19-29 and I asked him where he was in his class. He said about second, and I was leading my class. Something wasn't right. Where had the 2 guys gone?
Well I got through lap 2, and again it was like a cheering section from the moment I hit the fire road through the pavilion. To say the least that's awesome to have so many people cheering you on. I crossed the stream and 2 guys were there, and they said, "You're in second, the guy is 7 seconds ahead of you!"
So I'm thinking at this point, where did those 2 guys go? Did I pass them and not know it? I don't know, but I knew the 1 guy out ahead was the 19-29 leader. I could have missed the Northeastern guy. But I was looking for Leo the whole time. I never saw him. Whatever, I needed to catch the 19-29 guys and I needed to keep in mind what I learned from Stewart. Do not let up, at all, whatsoever. Leave it all out there and do not get f'ing caught.
A bit after the 3rd initial climb I saw the kid in a Black Bear jersey. I picked him up and asked if he was leading 19-29. He said yes, looked back nervously, and asked if I was in his class. I laughed and said no, I was far older. I asked if he had been passed, he said no, it was him out in front all alone. Again, I wonder where these 2 guys have gone. But whatever, I'm leading the entire race now. I'm leaving it out there. This is my backyard, this is supposed to happen, isn't it?
After I pass him he tries to keep up, which was the first time all day someone had tried to stick on my wheel. We did that flat-ish section that ended at a T and we went left and up, to the top of the downhill into the switchbacks, before the far side parking lot. I dropped him on that hill then said from here on in I have 2 climbs to pace. Beyond that I am leaving every single ounce of effort on this course to finish before anyone else. If I'm in first, that means I somehow passed those guys and at the very least, the guy Leo is out there and he's still fast as hell. If he's going to pass me he's going to earn it.
So I left it out there, pace the hills and blow down the hills as fast as I can, as little on the brakes as possible. The 3rd lap I came in a bit slower, maybe 29:30 but still well under my goal. Total time was 1:27:42 and I was the first overall finisher, leaving no room to debate that I had won my race.
Turns out the other 2 guys ended up in 2nd and 3rd, and Guillome ended up in 5th. Another random guy came in 4th who I haven't seen before. So it was a mixed class of solid riders and I took the win. I was happy yesterday but I think today I'm even more stoked about the win. I haven't verified it but I'm pretty sure my time was overall fastest cat 2 by over 2 minutes.
I ate a huge breakfast, 2 actually, like they say you should. In all, 4 slices of toast, banana, apple butter, honey, and maple syrup - carb city. I had tried continuous eating before the Stewart race and it left me feeling a bit bloated, not really race ready. Yesterday I felt much better. Mass of carbs about 4 hours before the race, then nothing solid after that. Liquid calories before my warmup.
Warmed up with Fred, maybe 2/3 of a lap or so. Felt fine, HR was very responsive. Pushed it a little to warm it up and then we went back and got ready. The start was delayed which we expected, but not too much. Lined up in the class and saw some of the usual suspects - the guy who had won Tymor (Leo) and the guy who caught me and beat me at Stewart (Guillome).
Off the start 3 of us went out, Leo and Guillome, then me in 3rd. I guess this goes to show that spinning out rally isn't that big of a detriment at this park, even on the fire road. Another guy came up to us in the first climb, and Leo and this newcomer started to pull away. I stayed on Guillome's wheel to start. Up the first hill, then down, up the switchbacks. We could see Leo and the other guy, but they were going at a pretty good clip. My HR was off the charts to start so I needed to keep my pace and not totally blow out to try and keep them in sight.
Before the 3rd of the intro climbs Guillome told me to go past, so I did in an effort to keep them in sight. By the time I climbed that hill they were gone. So I fell into my pace and did my thing. Just keep pressing and chasing. I figured Leo was gone-gone because of the Tymor result and his history. But I was banking on the other guy blowing a gasket. I don't know who he was and he was wearing a Northeastern jersey, which I was unfamiliar with. So I had no idea what to expect.
I passed a ton of people and came in under 29 minutes on the first lap, but hit the lap button well after the pavilion. Probably something like 28:40. I dialed it down to pace myself again on the initial 3 climbs, which is a common mistake people make coming off the crazy fast lap finish. As always, I like having people on the course and enjoy the carrots to chase. I had no problems passing and made every one of them stick. A bit after the mid-point of lap 2, I lapped the first person, a woman who had actually parked next to us in the lot. She said there were only a handful of people ahead of me. But I knew 2 of them were in my class. Shortly after that I passed Janel, a Marty's rider who was slogging up that last steep climb of the lap. I tried to encourage all the people I passed.
At this point I knew I had passed the whole 30-34 class, as I had passed Utah Joe on the switchbacks to start lap 2 and the guy he was chasing a minute later. I had caught a guy who I new was often competitive in 19-29 and I asked him where he was in his class. He said about second, and I was leading my class. Something wasn't right. Where had the 2 guys gone?
Well I got through lap 2, and again it was like a cheering section from the moment I hit the fire road through the pavilion. To say the least that's awesome to have so many people cheering you on. I crossed the stream and 2 guys were there, and they said, "You're in second, the guy is 7 seconds ahead of you!"
So I'm thinking at this point, where did those 2 guys go? Did I pass them and not know it? I don't know, but I knew the 1 guy out ahead was the 19-29 leader. I could have missed the Northeastern guy. But I was looking for Leo the whole time. I never saw him. Whatever, I needed to catch the 19-29 guys and I needed to keep in mind what I learned from Stewart. Do not let up, at all, whatsoever. Leave it all out there and do not get f'ing caught.
A bit after the 3rd initial climb I saw the kid in a Black Bear jersey. I picked him up and asked if he was leading 19-29. He said yes, looked back nervously, and asked if I was in his class. I laughed and said no, I was far older. I asked if he had been passed, he said no, it was him out in front all alone. Again, I wonder where these 2 guys have gone. But whatever, I'm leading the entire race now. I'm leaving it out there. This is my backyard, this is supposed to happen, isn't it?
After I pass him he tries to keep up, which was the first time all day someone had tried to stick on my wheel. We did that flat-ish section that ended at a T and we went left and up, to the top of the downhill into the switchbacks, before the far side parking lot. I dropped him on that hill then said from here on in I have 2 climbs to pace. Beyond that I am leaving every single ounce of effort on this course to finish before anyone else. If I'm in first, that means I somehow passed those guys and at the very least, the guy Leo is out there and he's still fast as hell. If he's going to pass me he's going to earn it.
So I left it out there, pace the hills and blow down the hills as fast as I can, as little on the brakes as possible. The 3rd lap I came in a bit slower, maybe 29:30 but still well under my goal. Total time was 1:27:42 and I was the first overall finisher, leaving no room to debate that I had won my race.
Turns out the other 2 guys ended up in 2nd and 3rd, and Guillome ended up in 5th. Another random guy came in 4th who I haven't seen before. So it was a mixed class of solid riders and I took the win. I was happy yesterday but I think today I'm even more stoked about the win. I haven't verified it but I'm pretty sure my time was overall fastest cat 2 by over 2 minutes.
my wrap-up
my kids had a blast yesterday! we were watching the tour (on saturday) and i told them we could go see real bike racers. they were like "let's go NOW daddy!". i had no idea what to expect from them.
so we get there and i'm lucky enough to park right by norm and rob! the girls are like "you're in blue, you're supposed to win!". i guess they were right. anyway, they loved cheering for norm and everyone else wearing an mtbnj jersey. they were thrilled when you (norm) waved to them and we HAD TO wait for fred and woody. it was pretty funny hearing them yell "wooooody, wooooody, woooody!"
so yeah, they wanted to go to another race today. looks like i'll be, at the very least, a spectator at the next few of 'em.
again norm, well done. you've more than earned this.
my kids had a blast yesterday! we were watching the tour (on saturday) and i told them we could go see real bike racers. they were like "let's go NOW daddy!". i had no idea what to expect from them.
so we get there and i'm lucky enough to park right by norm and rob! the girls are like "you're in blue, you're supposed to win!". i guess they were right. anyway, they loved cheering for norm and everyone else wearing an mtbnj jersey. they were thrilled when you (norm) waved to them and we HAD TO wait for fred and woody. it was pretty funny hearing them yell "wooooody, wooooody, woooody!"
so yeah, they wanted to go to another race today. looks like i'll be, at the very least, a spectator at the next few of 'em.
again norm, well done. you've more than earned this.
This section threw me off. Are you saying its a mistake to dial it down... ? Or not to dial it down?
Yea, i think you said something about me loosing all my sh@t from my saddle bag being open.. maybe not. I got a chuckle out of it regardless..
Linda like being carded at the liquor store..
Sick job Norm. I need to pick up my game so i can write cool race reports like this.... I guess I oculd now, but nobody would read them.... 😀😀
that is weird. I mean there are guys that pass me from time to time and I dont know who they are, etc... But I know Leo and I KNOW I would have remembered seeing him pass me. So when I saw you, i had not seen anyone else at that point pass me. My first thought was "Norm is beating Leo, cool" When you said he was ahead of you, I was like "huh?" No idea what happened to him, but like I said, he did not pass me until the last 10 min of the race.
j_short,
You need to pace yourself again on the start of each lap. At the end of the lap it goes like this:
1. Hit those rollers, do like 25 mph
2. Hit the fire road, pick up speed after the turn
3. People start to cheer!
4. Go faster, faster!!!!!
5. Start climbs, try to keep going fast
6. Blow up fantastically because you can't climb those hills at 20 mph
I remember your bag tossing stuff out left and right. I said something to everyone I passed, even if it's "on your left...thanks."
I may have been in denial from shitting the bed at Stewart. I knew I was winning that race. And I let up a bit and got caught. So in this one, I just went out with the idea that I needed to pass anyone and everyone ahead of me, and that Leo and the other guy were still out there. When every single person I passed said nobody else was out there, I started to believe it. When I finally got the leader of the 19-29 group, I had to accept it and just pressed my way on, as if there was still a slight chance he was out there. I even had to double check with the guy at the scoring table to make sure I was the first to finish.
You need to pace yourself again on the start of each lap. At the end of the lap it goes like this:
1. Hit those rollers, do like 25 mph
2. Hit the fire road, pick up speed after the turn
3. People start to cheer!
4. Go faster, faster!!!!!
5. Start climbs, try to keep going fast
6. Blow up fantastically because you can't climb those hills at 20 mph
I remember your bag tossing stuff out left and right. I said something to everyone I passed, even if it's "on your left...thanks."
I may have been in denial from shitting the bed at Stewart. I knew I was winning that race. And I let up a bit and got caught. So in this one, I just went out with the idea that I needed to pass anyone and everyone ahead of me, and that Leo and the other guy were still out there. When every single person I passed said nobody else was out there, I started to believe it. When I finally got the leader of the 19-29 group, I had to accept it and just pressed my way on, as if there was still a slight chance he was out there. I even had to double check with the guy at the scoring table to make sure I was the first to finish.
BiknBen
Well-Known Member
I really wish more promoters would write the age group on the back of each rider's leg. It makes it so much easier to identify who is who out in the woods. You shouldn't have to finish a 1:30 minute race and have no idea what place you are in.
I have to admit, this is one of the things I really like about the SS class. As someone approaches me from behind, I listen for a chain slap or a shift. When someone is ahead of me, I just look for a derailleur cage. Very easy to identify who I'm racing with/against.
Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
Wait until Norm upgrades and has to keep track of the 50 Bulldog guys in Pro/Cat1/and Cat1SS. That's why I chase Alistair, he's the only one in a different kit so I can pick him out😀
And, good job Norm, you murdered them bitches:getsome:
-Jim.
Thanks, I felt good yesterday. Soon enough I'll be thrilled with 9th place. The "I'm a fast Everyman" days are numbered.
Hey if I come in top 5 this weekend, that would get me an automatic upgrade and I can race in your class an hour after I'm done with the cat 2 race, right?
Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
Sure!! Then you can help me keep these guys under wrap!! About 30 seconds up the trail is where I caught Chris LeDonne so there was 1 more in the mix!! It's the mafia son!!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=1187107159797&ref=nf
-Jim.
ellbiddy
Active Member
I actually wasn't there, long story in and of itself. But I'm back to business as usual.
He's not referring to you. There's a guy Leo that rides in my class. He won the Tymor race.