Tag Archives: Victor

GVCC G-Tour: Victor 7/15/2010

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The GVCC was on the Victor course last night. The weather was a little hot, but not as bad as last Thursday when we were on the Rush course.

I had decided to try something different on Thursday. I allowed myself to have my morning coffee, but drank nothing but water the rest of the day. A typical day at work could see me drinking 3-4 cans/bottles of Mountain Dew! I felt a little sluggish by Noon, but by time I got out of work @ 4pm I was feeling really good.

Tyler had not raced on this course yet so after getting all our gear ready we headed out and took a warm up lap with one of the G2 riders (John). We came back from our warm up lap and Mike had us do bumping and wheel touching drills. It is very difficult to bump/touch wheels with someone on a bike when you are trying to do it intentionally. Neither of us fell off our bikes so that is a good thing.

We rolled up neutral to the start/finish at the top of Blazey Road and I was still feeling pretty good. Now usually I just hang in the back and try to stay out of everyone’s way. Which usually results in me getting dropped shortly after turn #1 on the first full lap. So here I am sitting in the back riding my brakes and I thought why I am riding my brakes? So I decided to try and move up near the front. It was downhill so I wasn’t exerting much energy to move up. Tyler was up in the middle of the group. I caught up to him and he just did a double-take like “What are you doing up here?”.

Once we hit the flat part of Dailey Road I stayed about midpack until about the middle of Wilkinson Road. As we started up towards Pannel Road I just got slower, and slower, and slower … By time I turned on to Pannel Road I had fallen off the back of the peloton. Now I know I burned myself out, but at least I got a little experience of riding in the group with riders on either side of me at speed. I got all, but one lap in due to the fact that I was lapped by the B5′s just before the finish line.

I have a lot of work to do. I should have gotten some base miles in over the winter. I have wanted to race ever since I started riding again in 2004.  I get one day a week to ride and I would choose to ride with the GVCC group and get dropped every week then to just ride by myself. It can only make me better. I want to thank everyone that yells words of encouragement during the race. It does help.

Looking forward to the Wheatland course next week. :)

GVCC Training Race – Victor

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Since there wasn’t a Time Trial this week I decided to give the GVCC Road Race a try again. This week the training race was on the Victor course. Finally got to meet Mike Minerva. Really nice guy. Actually did drills with him as I didn’t have a partner. I never realized how unnerving it is to bump shoulders with someone on a bike or rub wheels. I didn’t fall though and was more comfortable with it the 2nd time around.

I think I did much better this time. I was able to stay with peloton during the warm up lap running pace lines. On the 1st lap I was on the back end of the peloton and then fell off about 3/4 of the way down Cline Rd. I could see another guy up ahead of me though. I think it was his first night as well. I got on his wheel to recover a little and then saw that he was hurting too so I went by him to let him draft me. When I made it to the start of the hill on Blazey Rd and I just kicked it right into my 34 tooth gear up front. I looked back and the guy isn’t there anymore. I felt bad for leaving him, but was thinking there was still a chance I could catch up to everyone on the downhill.

I caught a glimpse of everyone @ turn #1, but just couldn’t get back on with the peloton. Started to pour halfway through lap 3. When I got to turn #1 the marshal said the B5s went by a long time ago and I should just stop for the night.

I was in HR Zone 6 most of the time. It was tough, but fun.