Caleb Pike - April 25th

[esilnarson]

Anyone planning on racing Caleb Pike on Wednesday? I'm still a bit sore from Sunday but am happy to help work for the team.

[BearPope Recruit]

Just a heads up that Duane's results website notes a 6pm start time for tomorrow.

[Andrew]

I am planning on riding and happy to help the team, may have to drive out

[Lister Farrar]

Some of the juniors are riding out from pareto at 5, wharf and pandora at 5:10.

[JohnT]

Strategy ideas:

We want a fairly fresh Brian to be sprinting against JohnG at the end. How to make that happen? The IRC guys can’t be allowed to escape. Two people, e.g., Stephan and BrentS, could be designated as IRC chasers. These two have to watch John and Doug and not be drawn into battles with Lionel and Kelly. Brian should not have to worry (or even think about) about IRC until the end. BrentG might consider a break away. Not alone, but with someone else (TS – e.g., Andrew - or not). IRC guys won't chase because they won't risk exhaustion with Brian sitting in the peloton. So an opportunity has arisen now that IRC has the overall lead. Also, the IRC chasers don't have to sit in, they just have to stop JohnG and DougD from getting away cleanly. It might be fun for, say Stephan and BrentS, to work in a breakaway with IRC and then battle it out at the end for position (those last lap games can be great). Everyone should pay attention to who is up the road. If it’s BrentG (with others or not), don't work on the front. If it’s IRC plus Stephan and BrentS, don't work on the front. This approach might leave Brian out of the top five, but if the breaks don't survive, it also leaves him in the very best position at the end. The key is commitment, for this or some other plan. Brian, find a big guy in the pack and draft for 15 laps. Chasers: be on top of IRC so Brian doesn't have to pay attention to them. Others: Rattle the group by trying to run away out of the corners or by sprinting up the hill because the chasers will only work with IRC if they get a break away, they'll draft if IRC is just try to chase you.

I am most likely out this evening. Need to kill this cold before the Master’s race.

JohnT

[Stéphane Tran]

Wow John, you must have been up late! Unfortunately I won't be there tonight. I can't make it to any weekday races.

[JohnT]

You too! Or, the time/date thing isn't working on the forum.

JT

[Jimmy]

I'm hoping to be out but, sorry, I won't be of any use to help out. Just gaining experience and strength. Give me time and I'll be up to speed.

[Andrew]

I love the strategy ideas John. Let's commit to a plan tonight. Andrew

[Lister Farrar]

I'll be there with Duncan and Taylor. Not sure we can really help effectively, but it would be great for them to hear the discussion a bit so they see that cycling can work that way. I'll be mostly trying to advise Taylor. Brenna might be there too, but getting over a cold.

[Brently_G]

This evening was interesting.

I hope that Trevor (OBB) is ok, that was a gnarly crash in the last corner, I was behind him when it happened, I think his tire popped. Whatever it was, it was a nasty noise. Hope your alright bro great work today.

I feel like before we got started there was a lot of talk here on the forum and at the race start, but we never really had a presence at the front of the B-Race (it was all Russ Hays and IRC).

Sorry I couldn't stick around and chat after, other family commitments.

All in all it was a lot of fun.

Thanks Gentleman for a good night of racing

Brent G

[JohnT]

Results? Even a good guess is better than nothin!

[Brently_G]

I think I finished in the top 10, I got boxed out on the sprint by someone not holding their line and a couple of people finished outside the cones. I'm not sure about others I had to leave right after the finish, didn't have tome to chat.

[trevor]

I am all good guys. A bruised hip and ego but all things considered I am in great shape.

Gavin lead me out well going in to the last corner (as planned). It was a bit of a cluster fck getting away from the pack as several riders crossed the yellow line (did anything come of this at the finish line?) when an IRC rider who was leading out his teammates sat up. Tough one. Note: this is the second race where they have done this.

Anyhow, Gav and I had some great speed going in to the corner and I simply clipped my pedal at the apex and went down. It sounded worse than it was (I think?) as my tire EXPLODED and I was moaning like a dying rhino. Several riders stopped to help me out including Gav and Hugh and a few IRC riders. A HUGE thanks guys. It is such an awesome comfort witnessing this support first hand. I felt completely supported and in good hands. Again, thanks.

I'm looking forward to seeing the results and how hearing everyone finished. There was a definite strength in numbers out there in the Bs. When we come together and support each other as we did today we can do some serious damage (and no, not just to ourselves!)

Hopefully see you all out soon. I'll see what tomorrow feels like.

[Andrew]

It was a nasty sound when Trevor went down. Great that you are ok. Brian was riding in pain and hung in for a while before sensibly pulling out. It seemed like a lot of TSC and other riders were lacking pop tonight (?) and we couldn't get together and organize as well as we would have liked. Trevor and Gavin were nicely set up at the end before the crash. It was a strange finish as most people sat up after that for 50 m or so and then there was a run for the line. It was impossible to pass and there were two three riders well into the opposite lane. I don't know if they finished in the top ten. A young VAC rider won, Jag D was third, don't know who was second. Brent was ahead of me, I think I was seventh. Average speed was 36.4 kmh. Quite a few riders were caught out by the 6pm start which was just a bit too early. Overall a fun ride.

[beegull]

Not tired out but boxed in, that's how the race ended for me. Seemed like IRC was pretty much in control of the pace for the most of the race (kind of strangled it, it sometimes seemed). Gavin and Brent G threw in some good efforts on the Tripleshot side of things to keep things interesting. The lead out train of Gavin -> Trevor would have been pretty great if not for the Trevor's crash, but in the end it was just a great relief to see him coming up over the hill and finishing the race after fixing his tire. Another tough-guy finish for Tripleshot, and now Brian has another bruised and battered rider to commiserate with.

I suppose it's a positive sign that I've gone from holding on and just nervously sticking with the pack in the first race at Caleb a month and half ago, to being a lot more aware of what was going on up front and actually feeling just generally frustrated with the blocking and the weirdly slow bunching up on the hills. Next step would be to actually act on that frustration, do something to break up the almost static pack structure that seemed to take hold this time. Suggestions from some of the veterans would be much appreciated.

I did manage to stick to my plan, such as it was, and was only a rider behind John Guthrie going into the final turn. Unfortunately the crash confusion and the peeling off/slowing down of the lead-out IRC riders left me a few more bikes back by the finish.

Brent

[Jimmy]

Well from the tail group (C) it was a bit of a let down to see I was the only TS'r to show up. Especially given the larger presence of the O2, PC groups. It didn't leave me with many options. There was a break early on by a mix of these two teams along with an OB rider. I managed a solo bridging atempt and got between the two main groups but was in no-mans land and working on my own. Eventually two others managed to bridge up to me (Harry from O2 and a gal from PC). Harry agreed to work together and we were swapping the lead with the PC rider sitting behind (couldn't convince her to help out and could see that she was just going to let us do the work). We really pounded as hard as we could and managed to catch the lead group at the beginning of the bell lap, catching them by surprise. We did a hell of a job working to get us in position but I had burned myself up and had nothing for the final sprint.
It would have been an epic duty had I been able to scarifice myself like this for a couple of other TS'ers but it was the only strategy I could come up with (faint hopes of something left in the tank to make a charge at the end). I wound up 7th but felt I learned a ton with the best strategy I could come up with.

[bikehart]

Sounds like a great c race.

What I learned last night in the b race was how to recover from a stitch which made me feel as if I only had one lung.

The race itself was as planned for me which was to sit in and save my one match for the end. I was hoping to burn it for someone else's benifit but I wound up needing it to get back on to the main group after the hill on the bell lap.

On the 3rd last lap my breathing began to be restricted. It became progressively worse and by the time the bell rang you could hear me before you could see me. As we rounded the turn onto Millstream rd I was off the back but a very generous guy came back to sort me out. He told me to slow down my breathing and get on his wheel.

It worked but just as we caught up to the main group ***BANG!***

And there was Trevor, on the ground. I stopped along with a few others to make certain he was in one piece. Eventually his shredded tub was replaced and we headed off to finish the last lap.

A great race,
Hugh

[Lister Farrar]

Well from the tail group (C) it was a bit of a let down to see I was the only TS'r to show up. Especially given the larger presence of the O2, PC groups. It didn't leave me with many options. There was a break early on by a mix of these two teams along with an OB rider. I managed a solo bridging attempt and got between the two main groups but was in no-mans land and working on my own. Eventually two others managed to bridge up to me (Harry from O2 and a gal from PC). Harry agreed to work together and we were swapping the lead with the PC rider sitting behind (couldn't convince her to help out and could see that she was just going to let us do the work). We really pounded as hard as we could and managed to catch the lead group at the beginning of the bell lap, catching them by surprise. We did a hell of a job working to get us in position but I had burned myself up and had nothing for the final sprint.
It would have been an epic duty had I been able to scarifice myself like this for a couple of other TS'ers but it was the only strategy I could come up with (faint hopes of something left in the tank to make a charge at the end). I wound up 7th but felt I learned a ton with the best strategy I could come up with.

With any luck, there are 30 women (I hope most in TS jerseys) going to graduate from our women's cat 4 clinic to join you Jimmy. In the meantime, what do you think of the pace in C for other TS members? I got the impression from watching that there are many TS members more than strong enough to keep up in C. Shall we start goading them?

[Lister Farrar]

Really great reports; thanks all. I was coaching at Margaret Jenkins so left late and got there too late to race myself. Plus Duncan flatted on the highway. As he was changing it, Andrew happened by in his car and said 'jump in and fix it en route'. (cool, caravan support on the way to a training race!) So Duncan and new guy Taylor jumped in and got there in time to race. (Brenna's sick so just wanted an easy ride up.)

So, I only saw the b race from the sidelines, but Duncan and Taylor looked great to me. It was Duncan's first B race, and he was not really feeling like racing at all on the ride up. I think this guy's got talent he doesn't know about. He rode pretty easily in the bunch until a lap to go, when he got caught behind some slower riders they were passing in a corner and had to brake to a near halt.

Taylor was in his second pack ride ever (after Tuesday ), seemed to be doing well, and moving up and down the bunch, and while I'm sure he's got refinements to make, no-one came to complain about him.

So those of you who have taken the skills course and done a bunch of group rides, what are you waiting for? (That's my first goad Jimmy. Your turn.)

PS Oh yeah, good c start group too. More than 12 i think, which is the most I've ever sen at Caleb.

PPS This Monday is a good time to start: the first of the TS beginner series at Western Speedway.