Biscotti Madness

[THATmanMANNY]

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...

Agree! A few guys passed me and I REALLY REALLY tought they were in the second wave of riders.

I mean can't we, racers, just congregate and bring a sharpie to the race line and have riders tag themselves at their own discretion? OR get in touch with the promoter and have them have sharpies ready at reg to have the racers tag themselves with the age group.

 

[Norm]

SS bike at KVSP this morning:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/8170037

1 warmup lap, then 1 race pace lap. I don't think this is going to work out as a good SS race. I felt like I was spinning out far too much on those field sections, which there are a few in this race. Yes the course may be different but the theme remains the same. I'll have the geared bike back today and will take it up Thursday for a spin. I suspect I will feel better on that bike. I am really starting to love the whole idea of not needing to think about shifting, especially on some of those rocky sections where shifting just takes your attention away from the terrain. I felt myself flowing very well through the trail at times. If I were to run an SS I think I would need to go with an 18 cog.

Last year I averaged 11.6 mph in the race:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6116523

Today I averaged 12.6 on my 1 race pace lap. 27:50 and HRavg of 172. I feel like I have 13 mph in me for a race day pace.

My Body is still hurting from Sunday. The start of the fast lap was tough, and my body was like "FU buddy." It came around a bit and by the end it was ok. After the ride I felt good though. So things are opening up a bit.

Tomorrow I'm going to to half of last week's threshold ride, a single 15 minute interval. This week is a continued taper leading into the KVSP race.

 

[RNG1]

Agree! A few guys passed me and I REALLY REALLY tought they were in the second wave of riders.

I mean can't we, racers, just congregate and bring a sharpie to the race line and have riders tag themselves at their own discretion? OR get in touch with the promoter and have them have sharpies ready at reg to have the racers tag themselves with the age group.

I think you mean a black grease pencil, otherwise by the end of the year we will have so many things written on our legs it will be just as confusing😀
Seriously though I think we can even make it easier and just have a letter or single digit # for each group, well maybe I am thinking too much.

 

[Norm]

After a few races, I know pretty much everyone in my group who I race against. If there are any newcomers that come off the line fast I note them right away (then apparently forget them immediately). I also know several of the guys in the 30-34 class (Mike, Joe, James) who are usually all top 10. Then start to work up through 19-29, with Leo, Dave, and James in the pack, Manny usually sitting around 10, and finally Julien in the hunt for top 5. Then there's the one guy who often podiums. I almost always have a good idea where I am with these races.

When they start SS in front that's almost impossible to use as a judge. You have crazy strong riders like Fred, as well as guys you'll literally catch inside of 10 minutes even though they have a 6 minute start. The SS class is a pretty random class all in all.

 

[RNG1]

Norm I saved the link from your ride today as a file and can load from my list of activites into my garmin but can't seem to figure out how to get the file into MY list of activities to transfer...:hmmm:

 

[ArmyOfNone]

Norm I saved the link from your ride today as a file and can load from my list of activites into my garmin but can't seem to figure out how to get the file into MY list of activities to transfer...:hmmm:

in the summary box, there is a icon on the bottom right "transfer to device" does that work? I am still trying to figure out Garmin Connect myself.😕

 

[BiknBen]

Seriously though I think we can even make it easier and just have a letter or single digit # for each group, well maybe I am thinking too much.

That is already done. The numbers for each category and age class are always grouped together. Cat1 SS Open is always a 600 series number. I believe the promoters have finally agreed on a universal numbering system. I've been 600 and something at every race for two years.

The problem is that you can't see the number from behind. Turning around to see each racer that you pass or passes you is not feasible.

All it would take for my group is an "SS" on our calf. You don't have to write the category such as CAT1, 2, or 3 because they are never mixed on the course at the same time. All you need to write is the age groups.

This is done at othe races and I always appreciated it.

 

[Norm]

I've been both 800s (first 3 races) and 200s (LM) this year in the H2H series.

 

[BiknBen]

I believe the promoters have finally agreed on a universal numbering system. I've been 600 and something at every race for two years.

I've been both 800s (first 3 races) and 200s (LM) this year in the H2H series.

OK so they have not gotten the system down for the entire series. BUT, on race day, the guys in your group will have similar numbers grouped together. This makes scoring easier.

Each scorekeeper is assigned to keep track of a group of racers. As racers go by, they just look for numbers in their group and ignore all others.

 

[Norm]

Actually, now that I look at all the numbers I've been in the 800s 8 of the last 9 races. Just LM was different.

 

[UtahJoe]

Agree! A few guys passed me and I REALLY REALLY tought they were in the second wave of riders.

I mean can't we, racers, just congregate and bring a sharpie to the race line and have riders tag themselves at their own discretion? OR get in touch with the promoter and have them have sharpies ready at reg to have the racers tag themselves with the age group.

I would do it. Dave martin (who I dont know) was 2nd in Norm's class. His number was 293, mine was 253. When I looked back and saw him I thought "I dont think he is in my group, but why does he have a 2xx number and not an 800, or 300, etc... " I didnt pay attention to the numbers in Norm's group prior to the race. Would have been nice to know, especially since I was 99% sure I was in the lead at that point.

 

[RNG1]

in the summary box, there is a icon on the bottom right "transfer to device" does that work? I am still trying to figure out Garmin Connect myself.😕

OK I got it and it is stupid easy actually. Go to his link and while viewing it in his activities just select "send to device" (make sure yours is close to the ant stick) and it sends it into your garmin. It shows up in the 405 under menu-training-courses. I then tried to upload it into my garmin connect but that only loads activities so I haven't figured out that yet but I can select it in the courses part of the 405 and then select "do course". I imagine once you do the course it will then become an activity of your own and will upload.

 

[ellbiddy]

He's not referring to you. There's a guy Leo that rides in my class. He won the Tymor race.

I'm so egotistical...

 

[ArmyOfNone]

OK I got it and it is stupid easy actually. Go to his link and while viewing it in his activities just select "send to device" (make sure yours is close to the ant stick) and it sends it into your garmin. It shows up in the 405 under menu-training-courses. I then tried to upload it into my garmin connect but that only loads activities so I haven't figured out that yet but I can select it in the courses part of the 405 and then select "do course". I imagine once you do the course it will then become an activity of your own and will upload.

yep that sounds bout right. just to clarify however, you do have the course to follow right?

 

[Norm]

I just did some math on the H2H leaderboard, and after the LM race I have a 112 point lead in the 35-39 standings, not counting PayDirt points. Second place is Bill, one of the Black Bear guys who I've gotten to know over the course of the season. Guillome is 3rd, 168 points down. But he told me he's missing the KVSP race which puts him way out of the ballpark on the overall series. Cima is another guy I've gotten to know, he was 2nd but missed LM so dropped to 6th overall.

Waiting for work to wrapup here. Going a little crazy.

 

[RNG1]

yep that sounds bout right. just to clarify however, you do have the course to follow right?

Yes it is in my 405 now, have to ask Leo how it works in regard to doing a course, meaning I can select it and then select "Do Course" but I would think that I have to start where Norm starts and not sure how that works if I don't know exactly where that is...

 

[RNG1]

Norm, sorry your thread has turned in the coffeehouse where there are several conversations going on.
To comment on your train of thought, I drove myslef nuts last year with all the calculating during the season when frankly it comes down to the last race given the lowest will get dropped. If someone had a bad outing you never know if that will be dropped or maybe they tank in the last race and that will stick. That being said I will probably start doing the same thing again in a couple of races😱

While we are overanylizing...
I beat the guy who won at Stewart in my class (when I got third) by like 5 or 8 minutes I think. This sunday is his home turf though....

 

[Norm]

You need to:

1. Hit "do course"
2. Start the GPS timer

I've done just #1 before thinking that it would automatically start the timer. Oh no, it doesn't work that way. You need to also start the timer. You look at the map and assume it's running in the background but it is not. Make sure your timer is also spinning if you want your ride stats.

Park at the Goodale lot which is where we all park for the race. You can pick up my trail there. Otherwise it's just a line on the map. You can pick it up wherever.

 

[Norm]

Norm, sorry your thread has turned in the coffeehouse where there are several conversations going on.
To comment on your train of thought, I drove myslef nuts last year with all the calculating during the season when frankly it comes down to the last race given the lowest will get dropped. If someone had a bad outing you never know if that will be dropped or maybe they tank in the last race and that will stick. That being said I will probably start doing the same thing again in a couple of races😱

While we are overanylizing...
I beat the guy who won at Stewart in my class (when I got third) by like 5 or 8 minutes I think. This sunday is his home turf though....

No worries, converse away. I'm pretty well ahead right now so if I were planning on staying in cat 2, I'd feel pretty good about my series chances, even though Ilya can attest that anything can happen. But it doesn't matter since I'm not going to play out the series in cat 2.

 

[kush]

Norm, sorry your thread has turned in the coffeehouse where there are several conversations going on.
To comment on your train of thought, I drove myslef nuts last year with all the calculating during the season when frankly it comes down to the last race given the lowest will get dropped. If someone had a bad outing you never know if that will be dropped or maybe they tank in the last race and that will stick. That being said I will probably start doing the same thing again in a couple of races😱

While we are overanylizing...
I beat the guy who won at Stewart in my class (when I got third) by like 5 or 8 minutes I think. This sunday is his home turf though....

Rob, we get 2 races dropped. Best 6 out of 8.