12 hours of Tsali

I am doing this race, and was wondering if any of you might like to get a team together? The date is May 19th. For those of you not familiar with this race, it's a 12 hour mountain bike race that can be done solo, or as a member of a team. Let me know if there is interest, maybe we can put a team ( or 2) together!?!

APRIL RACING

I rode with G this week and lamented to the TEAM having a slow start.   She had to remind me, that except for Ray, Brandon and Brian focusing on the GSTS, the rest of us had planned late starts.

April is on us and I thought I would note the biggies:

SCTAC - 'The Tuesday Night World Championships' start April 3rd.   Look for a new place to park.  Where else can you race with 10-20 of your team mates right here in Greenville for $5??

SC Crit Championship - April 21 and 22.   You can catch Ion Village on Saturday and the Championship on Sunday.  This is a TEAM focus event so let's get out in numbers!

Tour de Moore - April 28th in Southern Pines is a classic RR.   Ask Bird, G or Em for details.  We will spend the night and then there are two great options for Sunday.......A beautiful TEAM ride through horse country or Brick City Crit, just a few miles up the road.   This race is going to be VERY big this year and is a TEAM focus event.  (Flyer up soon)


See ya out there!

Rock Hill Bicycle Classie

Who is planning on doing the Rock Hill Bicycle Classic?   I am planning on the 50+ 1,2,3 Road Race... (it is combined with the Cat IV)... New course... 2 loops.... eliminates the pot holed road of last year.  Same Crit course around Lake Winthrop... RR on Saturday Crit on Sunday...

Debi the Crash Test Dummy

Yes - it was bound to happen - a crash for me today AFTER the POA Brookwood criterium. The cat 4 women again had their own field - and we showed up in impressive numbers! The entire GHS every woman cycling team was there led by Kelly Patton. I was buried in a sea of pink! There were over 15 women in our field.

The race was not terribly fast and stayed together most of the time. I sat mostly 3rd to 5th wheel without any difficulties. I really didn't have any legs at the sprint but managed to cross the line 5th.....then the crash.....

On the back side of the cool down lap - a junior racer decided to take a right hand turn into a parking lot to turn back to her team and car. She didn't look before turning and turned right into my path. We both went down hard but got back up. I suffered some soft tissue damage to my left hand, a knock on the head and some rash on my left leg. Nothing that won't heal. It is very disappointing though to suffer an injury AFTER a race......especially when you didn't win :(

I did learn a few important lessons:

(1) I love my team!!!! Randall and Christina stayed for my race to cheer me on and offer sound advice.

(2) When an experienced racer tells you to watch out for a particular rider...LISTEN and pay attention.

(3) Don't wear your wedding band when riding your bike...duh....my band suffered a lot of damage as we skidded down the pavement.

(4) Maybe crit racing is not the best venue for a dentist.

Speaking of my team....do you notice any similarities in the photo of the crash test dummy helmet and our....ahem....kit???

TOUR OF AFRICA

How do I sum up an experience like this in one BLOG?  Well, here are some of my takeaways!

Argus is the largest bike race in the world.......close to 40,000 people take part, starting in about 48 waves.  Our wave (international riders) included Eddie Merckx.   Emily broke away early and turned in a great time.  Steve, Sam, Teenie and I were content to ride pretty hard, stop a lot and take it all in.  At times we a were in remote areas, at times it seemed like the Tour de France as crowds lined the road.   We climbed up Chapman Peak as the sea crashed against the rocks hundreds of feet below.   I don’t even know how we placed but it felt like it was a podium finish.  The word epic can be easily overused but not in this case.

We moved from Cape Town to Thula Thula Game Reserve, north of Durban for a 3 day bush adventure.  It was there, that with the help of Mnqobi Victor Ngwenya, our Tracker, I became a man at ripe age of 62.  Victor is a proud fella with a passion expressed continuously as he taught us about animals, plants, things African, and life in general.  Africans don’t tell you where they are from or what they ‘do’.  They tell you their tribe.   There are 9 and Victor is a Zulu.   Zulu surnames are usually animals and Ngwenya means crocodile.  Victor smiles broadly when he explains all this.  In fact, Victor smiles broadly most of the time. 

It was through the Bokdrolspoegkompetisie (buck poop spitting contest) that I achieved man hood.   On our first walkabout, Victor picked up a handful of impala (an antelope) dung.  He rubbed 8-10 pellets in his hands and told us that he would spit one over a line he drew in the trail.  Performing this feat he told us was a passage to manhood.  I ask if he was using slight of hand as he put a pellet on his tongue.  Bake said this was just like our watermelon seed spitting contests back home.  I said, “Not so much.”........and looked into Victor eyes as he said I just needed to trust him.  I did, and that morning in the Natal region of South Africa, I became a man.  

The day after I became a man, I was stung on the left shoulder by something from the bee/wasp family.   Quickly, Victor tore the leaves off a plant and told me to masticate them.  Bake said this could cause me told go blind.  I assured him a life history had only caused me to have to wear glasses.  After mastication, I rubbed the leaves on the wound.  I was better, fast. 

After Thula Thula, we went to Johannesburg and I learned that the journey to freedom for native Africans was long and costly.  I visited the only street in the world where two Noble Prize winners live.  I learned that a man abused all his life and imprisoned for 30 years could find love and forgiveness in his heart.  After years of bloodshed, peace could be achieved through forgiveness.  I think Nelson Mandela may be the greatest person of our time?

There was a famous African Singer, the late Lucky Dube.   Dube means Zebra in Zulu.  Victor told me that the lions love to eat Dubes (Zebras).  Sometimes, as a tracker, he sees this life and death drama play out.  When the Zebra gets away, they call him a Lucky Dube.  I guess the most important thing I learned in Africa is that I am a very, very, very Lucky Dube.  Lucky to get to go to South Africa, lucky to have Sam and my other travel mates as friends, lucky to have known Mnqobi Victor Ngwenya and lucky to have lived the life I have lived.

South Africa is a wonderful place.   Having Sam and her family as hosts made this a wonderful trip.   The way I look at things will be forever changed.

Regarding that big wreck I was in.....

2012 was to be my spring of dominance. I am someone who has always set big goals, and talked about them openly because once you say it out loud, you’re fully committed, and if your friends are any good they’ll give you a hard time if you don’t do what you said you were going to do. I didn’t hedge my bets this spring when I announced my intention to “absolutely dominate the spring series at Cat 4 in order to move up to Cat 3” at our team meeting. The domination didn’t happen as planned.

In the first race at Donaldson, I found myself too far back in the largest field I had ever been a part of, coming into the finish boxed in, unable to sprint, finishing 6^th which is respectable, but hardly dominant. In the second race at Donaldson, Cat 3 & 4 fields were combined in a miserable slog of howling crosswinds, sideways rain, relentless attacks and bitter cold. I finished lucky number 13 and worked hard for it. At Fork Shoals I raced smart all day then made some mistakes in the final mile and found myself chasing from too far back again, finishing 7^th.

The night after the Fork Shoals race, I was frustrated. I knew that I had adequate form to win, but I had played my cards wrong. Last year, I had struggled with being too far forward and sprinting too soon. This year, I was waiting too long, playing it too safe. I found myself lying in bed, unable to sleep, replaying the races in my head and trying to visualize myself racing smarter at the BMW race the next day.

I woke up feeling good that Sunday. I do this thing before a race where I look at my reflection in the mirror eye to eye. Some days I have it, some days I have to talk myself into it. This was a day where I had it. There was no reservation, no hesitation, I felt like winning a bike race, and had the confidence to do it. My game plan was simple: Stay in the top ten. Stay off the front. Kill the sprint. Ninety-three competitors showed up at the start line. There was no doubt in my mind that I would dominate them all.

I raced a very smart race that day, right up until the end. Brandon and I stayed near the front for the entire race. There were a few attacks, a few failed attempts at breakaways, but no one seemed interested in really shaking things up. The average speed of the race was slow and the peloton stayed together in one giant cluster of marginally skilled bike racers. In the final lap, I was riding right where I needed to be. Brandon was on my wheel. The pace lifted on the backstretch and there were two lines of riders working at the front of the peloton. I picked the outside group so that I could go wide right and carry more speed out of the final turn. As we rounded the final sweeping turn, I was moving towards the front, looking to launch my sprint at around 250 meters to go. The guys on the front attacked at 300 meters, the rider in front of me and to the right hesitated and then dove to the inside, forcing me to let him pass before I started my sprint. I finally got clear and jumped just after the 200 meter sign, surging out wide right with nothing but daylight between me and the finish line. I stomped on my pedals, overtaking riders quickly. With 100 meters to go, I knew that it was going to be close, but I had a shot at the win. I was accelerating, I could see the finish, I was overtaking everyone, then I saw movement to my left, a rider cutting across my line, his back wheel clipping my front, my weight was on the wrong side of the bike…..then time stopped.

I had this moment of stillness when I knew that I was going to crash hard. It was a little like Ricky Bobby in the movie Talladega Nights just before his crash where he says “Yep, flying the air. This is not good.” My bike was out from under me; I was airborne at thirty-six miles per hour, my head pointed at the tarmac, ninety riders behind me. Clearly not good. I tried to roll so that I would land on my back….then….lights out.

I woke up confused, on my back, in absolute agony with people hovering over me. I knew immediately that the left side of my body was busted up badly. I heard Bird over me telling me to be still. The blood in my eyes blurred my vision so I just closed them and listened to the voices around me. There was Blair from the POA team seeming to take charge of the situation; there were BMW staff, then the paramedics. I heard bits and pieces about lacerations to the face, broken collarbone, limited breathing in the left lung, something about my eye looking bad, some confusion about which Hospital I should be taken to. I had never been hurt like this before. I was scared. As they loaded me in the ambulance, I heard Anne Limbird talking into my ear, very close, telling me that I she knew that I was going to be OK. She sounded so sure of herself. I couldn’t help but agree with her.

I was conscious for the entire ride to the hospital and my time in the ER, but the memories are somewhat foggy. I remember feeling very calm, almost serene at that point….was that morphine they gave me in the ambulance? I knew that I was seriously injured, but I also knew that I was going to get through it. The doctors in the ER did a great job of explaining what was wrong, and what needed to be done to fix me. I had a concussion, multiple lacerations to my face, three broken ribs, and a broken collarbone. My collarbone and/or ribs had punctured my left lung. The doctors asked me to sign an authorization to put a tube in my chest to help the lung expand and recover. I thought it was strange that they asked me to do this; I cracked a joke about my mangled left side and the fact that I’m a southpaw. Paperwork at a time like this! Are you kidding me? I did my best to sign the two-page document with my right hand. They poked me, prodded me, twisted me, took x-rays, ran a cat scan, stuck various tubes in me, stitched me up, and soon I was being wheeled through the halls to the ICU.

Hopefully I haven’t already lost you, because this is the turning point, the place where the story stops being painful to read. I spent five days and four long nights in the hospital, which included surgery to repair my collarbone. I didn’t spend one waking hour without someone there with me. It seemed like every time I opened my eyes, there would be a different pair of people before me. After I returned home, it seemed like every time I started to get completely stir crazy from laying around all day, a visitor would pop in to check on me with food or a story to tell. The support of this team throughout the past three weeks has been simply amazing.

To the crisis management CEO, the German chocolate smuggler, the winning sprint dedicator, the ICU wisecrackers, the busted bike caretaker, the delicious food creators, the concerned callers, the uplifting e-mailers, the mini chauffeur, the great story tellers, the USAC protestors, and the consummate coach who offered constructive criticism of my ill-fated sprint, THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE FOR ME. This team helped to make this difficult time relatively pleasant.

I have learned, through video footage of the accident, that the rider, who had delayed my sprint by cutting me off to the inside, was the same rider who took me out by suddenly veering back to the outside. I honestly believe if that rider had held his line on either of his two moves within 200 meters of the finish, I would have ended up on the podium or maybe even winning instead of in intensive care….but that’s bicycle racing. This sport that we love is a dangerous one. We know the risks. We see the wrecks. It’s very easy to get mad and point fingers when accidents happen, but the best thing we can do is learn from our mistakes and move on.

As for me….I’m doing fine. I rode my trainer for the first time last night. I would like to say that it felt good to be back on the bike, but that would be a shameless lie. It hurt pretty bad, but I know that it will hurt a little less tomorrow, and a little less the day after that, and soon I’ll be back out there with all of you.

Until then, HOLD YOUR LINE!

-Ray

Debbie does Leadville: Taco Stand Classic and other ramblings....

Debbie does Leadville: Taco Stand Classic and other ramblings....: I was talked into doing my first real endurance race a few weeks back. This was a last minute decision, with out any planning on my part. My...

First Mass Start Win - Ever!!

If someone had told me I would be awarded the first road race "W" for Team Headstrong....I would have thought they were hallucinating...really! Saturday, I crossed the line first in the inaugural Upstate Cycling Classic in Pendleton, SC. Winning in South Carolina, my new home state was especially sweet.

The Pendleton course was a difficult technical 11 mile loop with some tight turns, hills and headwinds. Teammates Elizabeth Brady and Debbie Gillespie were in there with me. We had a great mix of women racing, including a strong junior lady and a cat 1 NRC racer. During the second of two laps for the cat 4 women and four for the rest of the field, Debbie went up to the front to stir things up in some nasty headwinds. We were all together with 1K to go when the cat 1/2/3 women were neutralized and the cat 4's were starting their sprint. Elizabeth went early before the final corner with me on her wheel. I came around her on an uphill finish a little earlier than planned - but had no choice but to just hit the gas. I had no idea who was behind me or how far back they were. With the finish line mere yards away I saw a flash of pink to my left....oh crap....someone trying to come around...no way...I wasn't going to lose after a far-too-long sprint - found something a little deeper and won by a half a bike length. My heart rate was 187 at the end - a never before seen number for this 45 year old woman!

Women's cat 4 road racing is experiencing some exciting changes in upstate SC and western NC! Through the efforts of many individuals, new category 4 women are showing up for races in never before seen numbers. The cat 4 women's field at Donaldson Center and the BMW criterium in the Hincapie Spring Series was larger than the cat 1/2/3 field. Rich Hincapie gave the women their own field in both of those races and it was well received by all the women I spoke to. For the Pendleton race, there wasn't a separate cat 4 field, but a few women approached the promoter and a cat 4 womens race within the open race was created. We started with the entire field, but did fewer laps and had our own finish and scoring. Again, there were more cat 4 racers than the combined 1/2/3 field.

As a cat 4 racer, I can tell you that the view from the back or off the back of an open field can be discouraging and intimidating. You pay for a race, but often times find yourself hanging onto the field for dear life, for as long as you can, and then practicing your time trial skills to the finish line. This has happened to me in both road races and criteriums. There is little race strategy, cornering, attacking, sitting in or pack movement going on when you are in the red zone. After a string of these types of "races" (ie sustained VO2 max intervals) it is easy to just hang up your racing cleats.

The Greenville Spinners just started a new womens racing team and I have seen at least one member at every race I have been to this year. They are exactly the type of enthusiastic new racers we need to continue to grow the sport of womens cycling. Hopefully more promoters will offer womens cat 4 or even 3/4 fields to encourage women to join the rewarding world of womens racing.

Racing this weekend?

Anyone racing The Upstate Cycling Classic this weekend?

Boone Roubaix

For anyone not going to Charleston for the SC Criterium Championship, the Boone Roubaix is that Saturday (4/21). 48mile race, 4,800ft of climbing with 10miles of unpaved hard pack with 20% climbs...

but heed the website warnings below.....  (yep.. that is Perry on a dirt road climb at last year's event... )

Warnings:

§  Variable weather conditions leading up to or on the day of the event may result in extreme riding conditions.

§  The rider and bicycle should be in top condition before attempting this race.

§  The course includes 16 kilometers of unpaved roads that may be extremely rough, covered in deep potholes and/or muddy.

§  The course includes several very steep, technical descents where professional racers have crashed. One guy had his ear ripped off. If you fly off a switchback and no one sees you, the bears will find you before we know you are missing. Think about that.

§  All participants will have $10,000 in additional medical coverage provided via the insurance policy for the event.

§  The Koppenberg of the High Country (Big Flatts Church Rd) is unpaved with an incline greater than 20%. Compact cranksets and 26 tooth cogs are strongly recommended.

§  There are several long paved descents, and Railroad Grade Rd is a 10 mile stretch of very flat paved road. Cyclocross gearing (e.g. 46×12) will spin out.

§  25c or larger diameter tires are highly recommended. Knobby cyclocross tires will be very slow.

§  Every year someone blows out a $100 tubular tire five minutes into the race and goes home. Don’t be that guy – use clinchers.

§  Carbon rims and frames may suffer serious damage from kicked up gravel.

§  Consider wearing MTB-style bike shoes as you may have to walk.

§  This race will be epic.

§  Don’t give up.

Bike Fit Rider Fit Bike

We all know that a proper bicycle fit is critical to improving comfort and maximizing performance. However, there are biomechanical issues that may need to be addressed to help fit the rider to the bike as well. Sometimes our physiology puts us in a position that doesn't allow us to get the most our of our performance. Our new position might still inhibit breathing or limit power production in the saddle. I recently read an article discussing these topics. Check it out.

Read "The Bike Body" on www.MassageToday.com