Chicago Marathon - October 2009 - Part III by Josh Padovano

So, I trained pretty good with the goal of running a 4:30 and not walking at all; compared to my finish of last year at 5:33 and walking a solid 6 miles of the race. About 3 weeks ago, I injured my back and stopped running. I intended to sell my bib because there was no way I was going to run. So at about 2pm on Saturday afternoon I decided I wanted to run the race. I got home from working the expo, got my stuff ready, and went straight to bed.

When I rolled out of bed my little thermometer linked to outside said ’32.7*’ So I busted out all the Under Armour I could find and suited up. Compared to last years heat, this was a completely different ball game. I road my bike over to Harrison and Michigan around 6:45. I don’t know who the logistics coordinator was for the starting region, but I had to jump two fences just to get into the starting area. I, like Amy, put myself in the 4:30 pace group for starters figuring I
would be happy to finish between 4:30 and 5:00. It was really cool seeing a mirage effect over the 30k people in front of me when I looked at the Aon building directly in front of us from all the body heat being released. Once we got going, I remembered why I loved running last year. The running part sucks, but the fans are amazing! I can’t state that enough.

Taking it easy, I made it just past North Ave. before having to water a local tree, and then I was on my way to Addison. The entire north side went great. The men with parade-like wooden riffles, twirling them to ‘Lady Marmalade’ on Clark St. was quite entertaining. Just after on Wells, I slowly passed an amazing gentleman who was going roughly the same pace as myself who had one leg. He had two of those arm supports that have wrist cuffs and was moving right along with his running partner. That was the most encouraging thing I saw all day. So I made it down to the halfway point and ran a 2:10 half. Still going strong, my main goal was to make it at least past mile 15 where I died last year. I did, and then I saw my first supporter that I contacted at the last minute on Saturday night around mile 16, this was encouraging. Everything went very well, but around mile 18 I started to feel the burn and slowed my pace a bit, but was still moving steadily. In Pillson, some generous supporter gave me an orange slice and it was the most amazing tasting thing I have ever eaten. That gave me enough juice to get to China town where I started to feel some pain in my right arch. I kept going, but finally at mile 22, I started to walk a bit. I walked until a little past mile 23, then ran about to 24, then walked until 25 and ran the last mile. Shortly after I started to walk, the 4:30 pace group pasted me. Then when I started to run at mile 25, the 4:45 group passed me.

I ended up running a 4:53.

I shaved 40 minutes off my time and made it to mile 22 before stopping. Considering I had not run an inch for the 3 weeks prior to the race, I was relatively satisfied. Maybe I can shave another 40+ minutes off next year.

Now its onto swimming season and cycling training!
See you all soon,
Josh

Chicago Marathon - October 2009 - Part II by Amy Burnstine

I am in my last semester at UIC (if I pass everything) and this includes Physical Chemistry 2, Physical Chemistry Lab, and Advanced Organic Chemistry. What does this have to do with a race report, you ask? Well, because I also work full time and overnight, and since these classes are taking a ton of time and effort, I did not have time to train like I would and should have for this race. I never ran farther than 15 miles before yesterday. That means I increased my mileage by 11.2 miles in one day. Kinda dumb. Very painful.
I knew this was going to hurt going in, so I was mentally as ready as I could be. I raised over $1000 for my charity (The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation) and thank you to those of you who donated!! Since I raised money and people were excited to see how I'd do, I felt obligated to race even though I was unprepared.
I knew I could finish, but I set no time goals for the race. I thought when I signed up I could come in under 4.5 hours. I threw that goal out the window when I hardly ran at all in past last month.

Anyway, I was at the charity tent at 5:30am Sunday morning... Way too early but I was excited and ready to go. At race start I lined up in the 4.5 hour pace group just for kicks. I have never been in such a massive crowd of people. The energy was awesome. The gun went off and we didn't move for at least 7 or 8 minutes. When we did, everyone was cheering and waving to cameras when we crossed the start line. It was crowded but I had enough room to run comfortably most of the time. The spectator crowd was amazing. People lined the streets almost the entire distance of the race.
I felt good and was running comfortably until mile 10 when I started to feel a blister forming on my right foot. I was more than a little concerned about this because that's really early in the race to start with the blisters. My shoes were broken in and socks chosen carefully so I have no idea why this happened. Oh well. Keep running.
I still felt good until mile 16 or so when I realized I hadn't seen a friend cheering for me on the course yet. What a bummer. I knew they were out there, but it's so crowded I couldn't find anyone and vice versa. I found my mom and my friend Ryan at mile 17 and stopped to give hugs all around. I was beginning to hurt here, just all over. My hips were especially painful. I think it is from pounding the pavement for so long. Whenever I train I run on the lakefront path on the sandy part for some cushion.
I have to admit that it just got worse from here. Ryan was running the last 9 miles with me for support, which was awesome but I couldn't even talk to him anymore after mile 20 or so. At first it was my hips, then my knees, then my ankles, then my feet. The blister was completely forgotten by now - the pain replaced by everything else. Every step sent shooting pain up my leg. I felt my toenails getting blistered and I knew I was going to lose at least one of them. The only thing that could have made this worse is chafing, which thankfully I did not have. I used a ton of assos cream on my running tights and body glide everywhere else and I think it worked.
There was a time, around mile 23 I think, when my run pace was only slightly faster than the people walking around me. I was still running, but barely. I stopped to walk the aid stations and a few times for some stride outs in between, but for the most part, I ran the whole race. I've had painful races before (Trek 100 anyone?? LOL) but this was bad. I'm just stubborn and wouldn't quit. My last mile was my fastest mile split of the race. :-) I knew it was almost over and I picked it up because I just didn't want to be out there anymore. Then I saw the finish and gave it everything I had left, which wasn't much. My face had to be a priceless *Faces of Pain* moment. But I did finish. A little over 5 1/2 hours. ugh.
The moral of the story? Prepare for races. And toenails are for sissies.

Congrats to everyone else who finished!! Whether or not you made your time goal, 26.2 miles is something to respect - even if you have to crawl across the finish line.

Happy racing,
~Amy

Chicago Marathon - October 2009 - Part I by Joe Imbrogno

I'll start with the night before the race. I went to a friends house to celebrate her birthday, and since everyone but me and a friend, who also ran the marathon, was drinking, she made me coffee. Feeling obligated to finish the whole pot (a little over three cups worth), I had a nice caffeine buzz by the time I left at about 9 pm. I hardly ever have caffeine anymore (except when it's in energy gels), so I did not fall asleep until sometime between 5 am and 6am, when my alarm went off. Not exactly what I was hoping for before my first marathon.

But cutting to the race, the first few miles were pretty slow with so many people running around. It was kinda chaotic. After a while, the mobs dispersed a little, and I was able to run at my own pace. At around mile six, I found myself running alongside a pretty girl in tights, running
slightly faster than my pace, but still tolerable, so I stuck with her until about mile 16, when she started going too fast for me to hang with, but she did help to keep a nice pace. At around this time, I still felt strong, but the legs were definitely starting to get a little heavier, but nothing I was concerned about. At around mile 19, I think at about 18th and Ashland, maybe, we ran through a very Mexican neighborhood, which was definitely my favorite. The streets were mobbed with people cheering and people banging on various percussion instruments, and horns. Just what I needed, because the miles were starting to become difficult here.

Before the race, I told myself that, unless I was injured or in a real bad way, I was going to go as hard as I could for the last 3 miles, everything I had left. And I was feeling pretty bad, but I thought that going just under 4 hours total was still a possibility. So, I tried to push it, and
after 1.5 miles of this, the legs said knowck it off, so I had to slow down, as my hamstring started twitching. The final mile seemed like the absolute longest mile of my life. When I finally crossed the finish line, and slowed to a walk for the first time in over 4 hours, my legs were striding still as if I was running, so that was a pretty cool, but wierd feeling.

This race, just like any big race, was, at the same time, a very humbling and inspiring experience. Of the people I saw that finished with times similar to mine, I was definitely the most wiped out. So many people were jumping around and talking and celebrating, while I was finally becoming aware of just how much my legs really were hurting. All these people just inspire me to be better, and smarter.

And no, if you're wondering, I was not able to go under 4 hours. All in all, I am still quite happy because my 5k splits were all similar, and my half way split was 2hr 1', and a total time of 4hr 5'.
I felt bad for ignoring my legs for so long yesterday, but they are making up for it today, as I can hardly walk. But it was still worth it.

Thanks for reading,
Joe

Race Report - Florida Half Ironman

HOT HOT HOT!

Sorry, team. While I did not wear the team uniform, I still felt as though I represented the team well in Florida this past weekend.

After working for three long days, on my feet, selling TriggerPoint Therapy equipment at the Ironman expo and doing Irish car bombs in downtown Disney two nights out from the race, I was sure I wasn't going to finish the race nor set a PR.

Swim:
The race began with a no-wetsuit swim in 79 degree water at 6:30am. Unfortunately, they thought it would be a good idea to start the Diasbled Wave Competitors directly after the Elite Wave, followed by the oldest males, then finally the M18-24; I regretably kicked a couple amputee competitors in the face as I swam by them... Sorry!
Surprisingly, I set a PR in the water... added arm mobility and crystal clear, no wake conditions led to my 35:08 swim time for 1.2 miles.

T1:
Transition, for as long as the run to it was, came to a surprising time of only 2:43 minutes due to not having to get a wetsuit off. There was a long run (a little over 1/4 mile) into transition that led to a longer than normal T1 time.

Bike:
The 56 mile bike course was very flat (very few rolling hills) which began very fast and I decided to not listen to my PowerTap until half way through the course.... bad idea! I suffered during the last 20 miles where two race packs of 30-40yr old males were purposefully drafting off one another.... This should be a lesson to all: Florida races, due to their flat conditions, typically result in drafting although the rules clearly state that it was a non-draft legal event!
The last half of the bike course did not have ANY refs on the course, and resulted in several race packs of blatant cheaters. So be it; I proudly rode solo and stuck to the rule.
Time= 2:37:19 Av Speed= 21.4 mph Power/Wt= 2.61 watts/kg

T2:
The transition area was quite large in a grassy field next to the horse stable in the Fort Wilderness Lodge in Disney world. This made it easy for those running through transition with cleats on. Yet, I decided to do as normal and dismount barefoot. I ran a quick T2 in 2:00 minutes and ran out as fast as possible... Ya gotta look good in transition as most of the spectators swarm around this area. :-P

Run:
The run was a flat course through the Fort Wilderness Lodge which was a ~4.5 mile loop you had to complete 3 times. The course encompassed 1 mile of asphalt running, 2 miles of grass running which ended up being the worst past of the course, and a 1 mile finish on asphalt once again.
I began the run course around 10:30am when the weather hit hard at 90 degree and 70% humidity. With trees surrounding, there was a stale air that prevented any release from the heat.
The only nice thing about the 3 lap course was that I was able to get elbowed by the leading woman who was on her second lap while I was only completing my first mile and managed to 'get in her way' as she came flying by me. Upon entering the dirt/grassy/unpacked portion of the course, you could feel the immediate, deafening heat that poured upon you. After one lap of misery, I realized the best strategy for battling the heat was NOT cooling your head with water or drinking cold water or chewing ice... Luckily, I wore a one piece trisuit which I packed with cold sponges first followed by cups of ice around my core in front and back.
*OK, Ex. Phys. students, as we all know, cool the core and cool the engine.*This trick worked wonders and allowed me to cruise through the second lap with very few heat related stumbles.
The final lap was quite easy, with little surprises and my best pace, realizing the death march that was approaching in the hot dirt portion of the course. Yes, half the race field walks during the grass portion of the course; it's an unfortunate reality of Florida and this race course.
With little run training this season, working three days on my feet prior to race day, I was quite satisfied with my 13.1 mile run time of 2:18:41 with a pace of 10:36 minute miles.

Overall:
My total time was 05:35:50 with a solid swim and bike time. The run was an unfortunate result of heat, lack of rest, and undertraining.
The race as a whole is an excellent, worth while, destination race that I'd encourage anyone to attempt to finish. While it may be a flat, fast course, the weather is your true enemy. No race in the Ironman circuit is designed to be easy; so yes, just finishing this beast is an accomplishment.
Even the Pros at the event admit that it competes with Kona as one of the hardest races in the Ironman circuit in terms of weather conditions.

As always, I was happy that I was able to train with the UIC Cycling and Triathlon team to prepare for this race and keep the team in my heart as I was racing.

Best of luck training and racing this summer.
Always try to push your personal goals and set records to achieve your best.

Happy Training,
Steve Ratchford

Jordan, Yana, Steve, Joe, Brian, Tegan

Steve Ratchford

(Joe Imbrogno from previous post)

Jordan, Brianna, Steve, Joe, Brian, Tegan

USAT Collegiate Nationals - 2009 - Joe Imbrogno

The morning was very cold, which probably turned out to be a good thing,
because it made the 53 degree F water (or about 12 deg C for cameron!)
feel surprisingly tolerable, with a wetsuit of course. As this was only my
2nd triathlon ever, I knew what to expect a little more, but am still very
inexperienced, which is why it was so much better to race with the tri
club. Having other people there racing with me surely calmed my nerves.
To summarize my race:

The water was quite cold, although not terrible but while swimming i
couldnt see my hand in front of my face, and consequently swam into much
debris and other swimmers. Also, I can only breathe on my left side, so I
really couldn't notice that a current kept sweeping me off track, and i
spent way too much time trying to right it. Now I will have to force
myself to learn that which I have been avoiding for so long: bilateral
breathing!

The bike course was shockingly hilly (to me at least) and the wind made
aero bars essential the entire time. It was a fun course, as I hit almost
40 mph down the hills, but a tough one (going up the hills, i hit as low
as 7 or 8 mph!!). The final climb right before the transition to the run
was the last thing my quads needed before the 10k.

The run course was as nice as you could ask for, nice and flat, but
relative to the morning temperature it got pretty hot. and after the bike,
I felt like the part of the quad that comes down by the inside of the knee
was going to charlie-horse the entire 10k. Luckily it didn't and given the
issue I was pretty satisfied with the 10k split. I definitely need to work
on running right off the bike, though.

So, all-in-all, while not particularly happy with my time, the race was
still a ton of fun and very educational, as i now know some of the little
things i can tweak and work on and where i can improve (everywhere!). The
race just made me more eager to train and compete in more events like this
over the summer.

Regionals - Ohio State

Seth Meyer was the our only rider able to make the trip to regionals this year. Here's his report (also at seth-meyer.com):

It’s funny how you can have so much to say about races immediately afterward, but, if you don’t get it down quickly, they just seem like one big blur a few days later. Well, here’s what I can recall from the blur:

Road Race: Four 20-mile laps in near the Hocking Hills area in Ohio. I have good memories of this place, thanks to past races. This year was a bit different, though. Two things: 1) It was the first race we had in 85-degree weather this season. Despite getting two bottles and a gel per lap, the heat still took its toll. 2) Having gone 26 days off the bike up until Thursday, I was definitely missing something. Still strong enough to go with some moves on the climbs, but I would get in them, have to sit on, and eventually get dropped because I just lost so much fitness. I hope it comes back soon! Meanwhile, I actually tried to participate in a field sprint and didn’t crash anyone out. So that’s good. I was 5th in that for 18th in the race. Pity to miss the breaks, one of which I surely would have made without the rib injury.


Criterium: The wind picked up just an hour or two before our race, and that changed everything. What we thought beforehand would be a fast course with a bunch of eyeing for last-chance double regionals points, turned into a pure sufferfest on this course that seemed to have only 10% tailwind and no shelter anywhere. About 2/3 of the field eventually dropped and what was left were three separate groups. I made it about 30min in, and was disappointed to see on the PowerTap afterward that my average was just 290 normalized for that 30min—a sure sign I need form back. I did a 20km TT at 320 non-normalized in March. Then again, I didn’t do an eighty-mile, eight-climb death march the day before. Still, I wish I would have been up there.

Oh well. It sure was fun. And, even though it was tough, it was nice to be under the hot sun for once. I hope I get that missing fitness back in the next few weeks. It would be nice to race from the front again!

MSU/Michigan

Michigan State Road Race: The "Road Rampage" was as brutal as ever, with the 1.2 mile stretch of dirt road being the defining feature. The dirt stretch was relatively compact and stable, but there were a few large potholes and some "quicksand" to make it a nailbiter every time we pushed through it. Mark and Jordan saddled up for the C race, which fractured into several small groups after the first 4.4 mile lap. Jordan was in the main bunch chasing a 2-man break and solo chaser for the rest of the race. Mark was in a separate group a few minutes back. Jordan ended up taking third in the bunch sprint for an excellent sixth on the day, and Uncle Mark rolling in mid-pack. The As and the Ds were on the course at the same time. Marty and Josh both spent a lonely day riding most of their 18-mile race solo, learning not only road skills but some cross as well. Seth and I lined up for the 12 lap A sufferfest, and the attacks started the moment we hit the dirt. Headed straight for a huge hole, I instinctually bunny-hopped and just barely held it together. Seth was a few wheels back and did not have the same fortune. I heard the sickening crack of a carbon wheel, and when I didn't see Seth anywhere in the pack, I had a sinking feeling that he had gone down. By the third lap the course was neutralized around the area of the hole as a full EMS squad was out and Seth was on the stretcher. It turns out he faceplanted hard enough to crack his helmet, but after a day in the hospital, he was released with nothing more than some bad road rash and bruised ribs. We're all hoping for a speedy recovery so Seth can laugh and breath deeply again! My race was ugly, as I slowly wore down and dropped out just past halfway. I dropped out after nearly half the field already had, so it wasn't terrible, but nonetheless another failed road race.

U of Michigan Circuit Race: The 2.1 mile course whipped around the Engineering campus and featured a fairly steep hill that caused significant attrition in each race. Marty and Josh improved significantly in the D race, with Marty finishing further away from lanterne rouge, and Josh charging to a 26th place. Some more training and these guys will be spicy! Jordan again raced comfortably in the C bunch, and learned a few things about sprinting while cruising in for 8th place. That's 2 top 10s for Mr. Ross this weekend! Uncle Mark was fried by the hill and after flatting his rear just before the start of the race, he flatted his front on the last lap before the hill. Rough stuff, but Uncle Mark took it out on a Redamaks triple swissburger later that evening. I was riding solo in the A race, but Seth was at the top of the hill cheering me on. Poor positioning at the key point of the race left me off the back with about 20 minutes to go and I rode solo before getting scooped up by two other big boys, and we motored to the finish. I missed the points by one spot!! Given the caliber of the riders finishing in front of me though, I'm happy with the result and driven by the fact that I'm so tantalizingly close to having the fitness of truly elite riders.

Notre Dame

RR: The Notre Dame road race was a flat, pot-hole ridden course with a decent hill at the end of each 10 mile lap. The weather was pleasant and some great bike racing went down. None of this mattered because I am an idiot. A dumbass of the highest form. I left Mark and Josh standing in the UIC parking lot for 2 hours (from 5am to 7am) while I slept through my alarm. This meant they would miss their races. So instead of rushing to South Bend, we made the best of the situation and stopped for some Mickey Ds breakfast, where I ordered a big OJ. Fast forward 3 hours as we begin the neutral roll-out. It is at this moment 3 hours later as our race is beginning that I realize I haven’t peed since before our breakfast stop. The A race was to be 70 miles (~3 hours). 25 miles in and I was feeding a tree. Like I said, idiot. “Anyone who wants to be a can't-hack-it pantywaist who wears their mama's bra, raise your hand.” -Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez Seth was also at ND this weekend and came in a great 8th place in the A race. He rode hard up the Buffalo Rd. hill each lap and eventually jumped into a 4-man chase group late in the race. It was a long, long race, and Seth demonstrated that he is quickly returning to top form again.

Crit: The Rum Village criterium course was in the forest, subtly hilly, and wicked fast. Josh jumped into his first race as the sun was rising (sappy symbolism??). He started off strong, and rode in the lead group for quite a while, despite never having ridden in a race, let alone a pack, before. Uncle Mark was cruising in the Cs, but an early pile-up drove him low. As he was trying to escape the carnage, something slid in front him and it was another case of OTB. Mark was all good, with little more than some bruises and a broken cleat to show for it. Seth and I were ready to rock the A crit, and decided before the race that though the chances of a break getting away were slim on such a fast course, he would try to get in one and I would stick more with the pack and hope for a sprint. Our prediction was right and Seth made several moves to be in the break, though they were roped back. I made a strong effort to chase after the moves when Seth was recovering in the pack, making for a fast, fun race. I ended up getting boxed by a lead-out man in the dicey bunch sprint stuck in 5th gear, and Seth decided to play it safe and not contest the sprint. All in all a solid weekend for us in the As. Seth scored some decent points in the road race, and I sprinkled some on top from the crit. Nationals here we come!!!hahaha

Depauw

Road Race: The 8 mile loop around Heritage Lake was fast and hilly, with a brutal headwind down the start/finish stretch. Taylor’s D race was again marred by frustration when another rookie (this one rocking Zipps and a Cervelo..b/c obviously what you ride in the Ds will make you faster by at least a power of 3) took a corner at mach 2, lost it, and caused a pile-up with Taylor included. He was no worse for the wear, though hungry for some results after having good position twice now. In the Cs, Rutger “aka the Stache-man” finished as the lanterne rouge. No worries though, as this was his first race ever, and he missed the D start. So he held it together, took a C bib, and rode his race to completion. A tough first race for a fresh racer, but a learning experience nonetheless. Jordan and Mark also raced Cs, and after riding strong in the peloton, got tangled in a last lap crash. Jordan, an experienced cyclist but first-time racer, got initiated by going OTB and banging up his front wheel. Both of them got it together and cruised home for a mid-pack finish. Big Mig (Can) again showed his road racing prowess by taking some huge pulls throughout the B race, and then sprinted in for 4th in the brutally long final straight. I DNF’d the A race by trying to work at the front beyond my means and popping. The only postive was that I found my breaking point and can play it smarter next time.

Crit: Flat 4 corner crit with some bumpy corners. Pretty standard right?? Not with a blasting 30mph steady wind to make things interesting. Taylor and Rutger both lost contact with the main D field in a race, like the rest of the races that day, that was marred by attrition. Jordan and Mark again were looking strong in the Cs, but a mid-race crash (UIC rider who caused it shall remain anonymous) brought them both to the ground. After that, it was more or less game over. Big Mig held it together and stayed in the main field to make it through his race, making him the only UIC rider to finish that day. The A race was a disaster. The field blew apart quite early, leaving me in no-man’s land for a while. A chase group to the main chase group formed out of about 5 riders and we worked well together to get back up to the group of about 20 for a few laps. I got gapped on Turn 4, which was wet and potholed, as we were approaching the big group and I could not muster the courage to take it at speed. It wasn’t long before I was pulled and only another 2 laps before the big group we were chasing got pulled. 30 minutes into a 60 minute race, and only a baker’s dozen or so remained out on the course. Ouch.

Murray State

Murray State hosted the first race of the MWCCC season, and being in southwestern Kentucky, it was a huge draw for us up north to escape the cold for a few days. We ended up bringing terrible weather and bitter cold along for the weekend.

Road Race: Everybody survived the technical, fast 16 mile circuit with little fuss. In the Ds, Taylor survived through his first race ever, and is looking to develop steadily through the season as he gains experience. Mark was also looking to stretch his racing legs and made it through the ice cold 32 mile C race. UIC’s top performer on the day, Can, motored away from the peloton as a part of 2-man chase halfway through race. He eventually shook off his chase partner to finish sixth in the 48 mile B race. The 64 mile A race settled drastically after a break of 5 or so got away and the schools with the biggest cohorts were satisfied with its composition. Attrition was pretty high and entering our last lap a freezing rain storm dumped painful ice all over us. Chilled and excited just to get into some warm clothes, about 5 miles to the finish my rear tire blew out and I got swept up by the broomwagon (a nice lady from the local CB radio club in a minivan). Grr!

Crit: The criterium was amazing. Maybe about 5 others were in agreement with me on this, and many individuals and teams protested this race entirely. 16 corners. 2 hairpins. Water and ice. Well under a Km. Few races have been more technical than this petite monster. In the D crit, Taylor was riding top 10 for 2 laps when the guy in front of him bit it on a sweeping downhill turn. Taylor met the ditch, got terrible placement, and blew up trying to regain position. That’s racin’. In the C crit, Uncle Mark found a rhythm and avoided carnage to finish mid-pack, making him the only person to finish both races on the squad. In the B crit, Can’s powerful diesel engine couldn’t get any momentum with all the inconvenient turns the race organizers had laid out. Try as he might, his trailer forced him to make wide right turns in the name of safety so that his fragile cargo could be delivered. In the end, the course got the best of Can when his tire slipped off his wheel and he wiped out. Lining up for the A crit, I had not crashed in a race in ever in my short (<50 races) history. I had a solid clip-in and surged for the first corner. The guy in front of me obviously don’t watch NASCAR because he decided to brake while he was turning>>loses control>>regains controls by pushing off me as I’m bailing. After using the skin on my hip, knee, and ankle to come to a complete, comfortable stop, I took my free lap and got great placement. Just like the earlier crits of the day, the field blew apart very quickly and I spent nearly all of the race solo chasing down a slew of popped riders. Even after being lapped by the strong lead group of about 6, I rolled through the line in 12th, but it was a rough day for UIC.

Murray State Road Race

The first season of the race was in Murray Kentucky this past weekend. Season's average temperatures for Murray is around upper 50's, however we brought the cold with us. The morning of the race was 32-35 and rainy. After registration and warm-up, we started to line up behind Men's A, and Women's A racer. Our starts were given 5 minutes apart.

I couldn't clip in as fast so I started at the back of the pack, no problems though it was a neutral start behind the pace car. The real race started after the first turn. Right after the turn the group stretched and sit on a nice double file group. It was a small group compared to the other races of the day, probably below 20 riders. The race was 48 miles, 3 loops in a 16 mile giant loop, with one climb. We had warned by previous groups about the climb; 'definitely a small chain ring', 'maybe a quarter mile'. We completed the first lap uneventfully, couple of attacks but nothing to worry about. I actually used those attacks for my advantage and moved forward in the group. Before the end of the first lap be caught the Women's A bunch and passed them. When the second lab began I realized the the drizzling rain had stopped, now we knew the course so pace was a little bit higher than the first one. As I expected the main attack came on top of the big hill. I had no problem climbing it in the group's pace but I didn't have anything left to respond the attack, so I let the two riders go. Their teammates immediately blocked the group, I was thinking 'that's good now I can recover'. The road was as wide as three abreast, so no one could takeover the four abreast blocking riders for a while. After a hairpin turn other riders jumped to catch the break away. I was still trying to recover from that climb and nowhere close to attacking, and saw three more riders gone. But I wanted to move forward cause I know there would be other attempts the catch the breakaway. I didn't really see this happening but this was the only explanation I could think of: as I was accelerating to move forward the group was blocked again so I ended up riding away from it. Instead of slowing down to let the group catch me I decided to catch the guy in front of me. I shifted up, put my forearms on my handle bars, tucked into an aero position and start hammering, as I caught the guy in front I looked behind and saw the group far away. I let him stay on my wheel for a while then sat up so he could pull. He was a smaller guy, definitely not a diesel engine like me, and wasn't happy with the situation, chasing the breakaway. Only in a couple of minutes I heard him shouting 'Hey let's wait up for Mike', I turned back saw another guy trying to catch us. Mike was a bigger guy and as he caught us, he picked up the pace. When the second lap was over it was Mike and me. Before the hill Mike was telling me we were going above his threshold. Now come on, it is either your threshold or we are gonna get caught. I climbed the hill for the third time, Mike next to me, in the easiest gear and the slowest of three laps. On top of the hill, where the guys attacked 16 miles ago, where my lungs wanted to stop breathing, it started to rain again. I was trying to encourage Mike but he was cooked. One more mile and Mike looked back and said 'They are coming'. I had worked too hard, if I'd let them catch us I had no chance in the sprint finish. So did what I had to do, dropped Mike and time trialed into the finish just by myself, 6 more miles to go. Rain turned into snow, my legs were resisting to move any faster, snow flakes started to accumulate on my glasses. I was shifting into the highest gear downhill and trying to keep the cadance up uphill. At the long stretch before finish I looked back, they were still too far to catch me. I shifted up two more gears stood up while on the drops accelerated into the finish. I placed 6th after the five men breakaway.

It is probably the worst thing to say after a race 'I would have..., I should have...' but I would have jumped while the other three did to catch the breakaway and I shouldn't let them go.

The result is not bad at all, top ten finish in the first race of the season, probably some points. Good start!

ps. Photo is from Sunday's crit, no rain no snow obviously buy icy corners...