Monday, September 19, 2005
Monday
John and I waited for Tim and Beth to get here, they arrived and stuffed their faces full of Chocolatines and coffee. They had a very long flight spaning 2 or 3 days depending on how you look at it. So as they went for a little nap, John and I went out to do some TT intervals. We felt crappy at first, but ended up feeling not too bad.
The races...
The races:
Due to a little finacial difficulty I was unable to race Sat’s Abos-Iraty Grand Prix de la Palombe race in this Pyrenees. So I took over as DS once more as John had the race of a lifetime.
We drove 3hours to the start a little past Pau in the Pyrenees. John had a good race and rode near the front all day. The pace was high and they covered over 40k in the fist 2 hours of racing over some rather “hilly” terrain!
I was in radio contact with John from the caravan. I gave him general info about the distance left etc, but listening to his responses I could tell he was riding well and feeling pretty happy about how the race was going. Then things got ugly! The race is a mountain top finish as it finishes atop the Col de Bagagi in the Basque country. This is the climb that the Tour went over in 2003 when Hamilton won the stage. It’s a very very steep climb. Hamilton used a conpact chainring for that climb. As soon as we hit the slopes of the Bagargi riders started popping off the back, and very soon the mountain was covered in riders. John was far from being first to drop. In fact he never really dropped as everyone was all over the mountain side. It took me a while to get up to John in the car. The commisaires kept us behind John’s group for a while as they considered that the main field. Eventually as things were getting really really strung out I was able to get alongside John and give him water, talk to him and see how he felt. I follow John all the way up the climb and kept talking to him either out the window or over the radio. The climb was absolutely brutal!!! He did most of the climb with the Basque National Champion, and he finished the race in the top 60… not bad for an all-rounder on a true climbers course. This is one I think John will remember for a long time. There aren’t very many true mountain top finish races around, and this is one of the hardest.
Sunday we were supposed to do the Pyrenean Regional TT Championships. We got up early and drove over to the race venue, only to find that for some reason they had not received our entries. As it was a TT there was no way they could take us on the day. So we sat in the car and had a very VERY disgruntled drive back home. I was really pissed as I was looking forward to that TT, and even more pissed because it means I didn’t race at all this weekend.
Still… Tim and Beth arrived on their Honeymoon Monday, so that livened things up a bit.
Due to a little finacial difficulty I was unable to race Sat’s Abos-Iraty Grand Prix de la Palombe race in this Pyrenees. So I took over as DS once more as John had the race of a lifetime.
We drove 3hours to the start a little past Pau in the Pyrenees. John had a good race and rode near the front all day. The pace was high and they covered over 40k in the fist 2 hours of racing over some rather “hilly” terrain!
I was in radio contact with John from the caravan. I gave him general info about the distance left etc, but listening to his responses I could tell he was riding well and feeling pretty happy about how the race was going. Then things got ugly! The race is a mountain top finish as it finishes atop the Col de Bagagi in the Basque country. This is the climb that the Tour went over in 2003 when Hamilton won the stage. It’s a very very steep climb. Hamilton used a conpact chainring for that climb. As soon as we hit the slopes of the Bagargi riders started popping off the back, and very soon the mountain was covered in riders. John was far from being first to drop. In fact he never really dropped as everyone was all over the mountain side. It took me a while to get up to John in the car. The commisaires kept us behind John’s group for a while as they considered that the main field. Eventually as things were getting really really strung out I was able to get alongside John and give him water, talk to him and see how he felt. I follow John all the way up the climb and kept talking to him either out the window or over the radio. The climb was absolutely brutal!!! He did most of the climb with the Basque National Champion, and he finished the race in the top 60… not bad for an all-rounder on a true climbers course. This is one I think John will remember for a long time. There aren’t very many true mountain top finish races around, and this is one of the hardest.
Sunday we were supposed to do the Pyrenean Regional TT Championships. We got up early and drove over to the race venue, only to find that for some reason they had not received our entries. As it was a TT there was no way they could take us on the day. So we sat in the car and had a very VERY disgruntled drive back home. I was really pissed as I was looking forward to that TT, and even more pissed because it means I didn’t race at all this weekend.
Still… Tim and Beth arrived on their Honeymoon Monday, so that livened things up a bit.
Friday, September 16, 2005
The week
John and I got in some good training this week. We got in a lot of intervals, some TT intervals and some shorter uphill intervals. We did a few double days, which was nice, and we got in a great ride to Penne and around Bruniquel. That was a great ride, and one I will have to take other people on because it is so beautiful and takes in a load of the area’s castles and walled cities.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Pic de Nore
This weekend saw two races go up the pic de Nore climb. Sat we climbed from Jalabet’s home town of Mazamet to the summit, and on Sunday we climbed from the other side in near Carrcassonne to the summit.
John felt a little down after Sat's race. He was fairly happy with Sat, though I was pissed off because we watched the break go up the road and did nothing... I tried to bridge but couldn't, so came back to the chase group where John attacked to bridge up as soon as I was back in, he sat in no mans land all day, at the end I kicked it away from my group to finish just behind him (7th and 8th). Sunday we went with the break, but these guys go SO fast up hill it was hang on until you drop. I dropped and set into my own rhythm, I ended up in a group of 4 when we reeled in John. We sat in on the steeper slopes, one guy went so I let the gap open a bit and bridged taking just john with me. We sat on him making breathing noises to make sure he wouldn't ask for any help. Then John started to get gapped, but I wanted him to hang on as I was planning to attack our guy with about 2k to go (it was around 8 or 9% slope at this stage), John dangled off the back for a little while, then got on. I attacked with 2k to go, john couldn't follow and the other guy stuck to me for a bit, so I kicked again and whipped it from side to side... I got a big gap real quick and held it to the finish, the other guy was picking up the speed, he came in next with John just behind him. We were around 12th and 13th or something like that. I was happy because we did all we could, but dissatisfied because I would like to do better… as usual. I'm not sure why John isn't happy though, because he didn't miss the break, he gave it all he had... so...
John actually cracked his frame, so that changed things a bit, as he will tell you bellow…
BY JOHN PARKS:
Well this past weekend did not go quite as planned, but it was a worthwhile experience nonetheless. We woke up Saturday morning to heavy rain and fog so driving three hours or more to the Pyrenees where the weather was sure to be worse seemed a little risky. Sim and I opted to try a different race about an hour or so away. The race was a mass start hill climb that started in the town of Mazamet (Laurent Jalibert?s home town) and rose 25k to the Pic de Nor, 1000m above the start line.
At the start I jumped out front and pulled the first few kilometers out of town and up the hill at pace just fast enough to discourage attacks. Just as I was pulling off a group of seven guys attacked and got a gap that Sim then tried to bridge. Not quite able to catch the lead group, Sim dropped back to the pack and as soon as we caught him I countered with my own attack. Unfortunately I was never able to bridge the gap between the leaders and the rest of the field and spent the remainder of the climb by myself in no mans land. Halfway up, I passed a member of the lead group being helped into an ambulance for whatever reason. An hour after I started, I reached the top several minutes behind the leaders in 7th place. Sim, in a group of about five, attacked 3k from the top and dropped the riders around him and crossed the line in 8th place about a minute behind me. All the race officials and locals seemed to really enjoy having the both of us their because neither of us are French. At the small awards ceremony after the race they even gave me a trophy for being the first foreign rider to reach to top.
On the descent back down, a couple times my crank seemed to slip a little or so that?s what I thought, so I just took it easy thinking I would just tighten it when we got home. The bad news came when we discovered that the chain stay was separating from the dropout and my frame was shot. Knowing we had a race the next day, that night Sim and I swapped all of my components on to aluminum Go Sport bike that Greg Sonnenburg had left here. Greg, if you read this, thanks, and I owe you. However, now you can always take pleasure in knowing that you own a bike that?s been raced in Europe.
The race on Sunday was similar to Saturday with many of the same riders, but we attacked the climb from the other side of the hill and finished at the same point. The backside of the climb was shorter but steeper which was not good for me. The pace started extremely fast and dropped most of the riders quickly. I held on for about two or three kilometers but was not able to maintain the pace. Once again I found myself on my own, this time occasionally being passed by a rider or two. Two-thirds up the climb I was caught by Sim and a small group of four others. I managed to sit in with them just as the grade got began to get steeper. All the riders in the group dropped except for Sim, another rider, and myself. About 1k from the top Sim had the legs to attack the other rider and get a few seconds gap and hold it to the finish with the other guy chasing and me coming in about 15-20 seconds back. Not a great day but we both still managed top twenty finishes. I guess not bad considering most of the other riders were from towns around the area, and are used to this type of terrain. By the way these climbs have Liam?s name written all over them.
Yesterday we took my frame to a local fame builder who said he could repair it no problem, so I should have it for the upcoming races this weekend. Thanks to everyone at the shop for jumping through whatever hoops to get a new bike to me. We are not exactly sure what races we are going to do this weekend but it may involve a road race that finished on a climb in the Pyrenees, and or a regional time trial championships, we?ll see. Thanks again for everything.
John P.
John felt a little down after Sat's race. He was fairly happy with Sat, though I was pissed off because we watched the break go up the road and did nothing... I tried to bridge but couldn't, so came back to the chase group where John attacked to bridge up as soon as I was back in, he sat in no mans land all day, at the end I kicked it away from my group to finish just behind him (7th and 8th). Sunday we went with the break, but these guys go SO fast up hill it was hang on until you drop. I dropped and set into my own rhythm, I ended up in a group of 4 when we reeled in John. We sat in on the steeper slopes, one guy went so I let the gap open a bit and bridged taking just john with me. We sat on him making breathing noises to make sure he wouldn't ask for any help. Then John started to get gapped, but I wanted him to hang on as I was planning to attack our guy with about 2k to go (it was around 8 or 9% slope at this stage), John dangled off the back for a little while, then got on. I attacked with 2k to go, john couldn't follow and the other guy stuck to me for a bit, so I kicked again and whipped it from side to side... I got a big gap real quick and held it to the finish, the other guy was picking up the speed, he came in next with John just behind him. We were around 12th and 13th or something like that. I was happy because we did all we could, but dissatisfied because I would like to do better… as usual. I'm not sure why John isn't happy though, because he didn't miss the break, he gave it all he had... so...
John actually cracked his frame, so that changed things a bit, as he will tell you bellow…
BY JOHN PARKS:
Well this past weekend did not go quite as planned, but it was a worthwhile experience nonetheless. We woke up Saturday morning to heavy rain and fog so driving three hours or more to the Pyrenees where the weather was sure to be worse seemed a little risky. Sim and I opted to try a different race about an hour or so away. The race was a mass start hill climb that started in the town of Mazamet (Laurent Jalibert?s home town) and rose 25k to the Pic de Nor, 1000m above the start line.
At the start I jumped out front and pulled the first few kilometers out of town and up the hill at pace just fast enough to discourage attacks. Just as I was pulling off a group of seven guys attacked and got a gap that Sim then tried to bridge. Not quite able to catch the lead group, Sim dropped back to the pack and as soon as we caught him I countered with my own attack. Unfortunately I was never able to bridge the gap between the leaders and the rest of the field and spent the remainder of the climb by myself in no mans land. Halfway up, I passed a member of the lead group being helped into an ambulance for whatever reason. An hour after I started, I reached the top several minutes behind the leaders in 7th place. Sim, in a group of about five, attacked 3k from the top and dropped the riders around him and crossed the line in 8th place about a minute behind me. All the race officials and locals seemed to really enjoy having the both of us their because neither of us are French. At the small awards ceremony after the race they even gave me a trophy for being the first foreign rider to reach to top.
On the descent back down, a couple times my crank seemed to slip a little or so that?s what I thought, so I just took it easy thinking I would just tighten it when we got home. The bad news came when we discovered that the chain stay was separating from the dropout and my frame was shot. Knowing we had a race the next day, that night Sim and I swapped all of my components on to aluminum Go Sport bike that Greg Sonnenburg had left here. Greg, if you read this, thanks, and I owe you. However, now you can always take pleasure in knowing that you own a bike that?s been raced in Europe.
The race on Sunday was similar to Saturday with many of the same riders, but we attacked the climb from the other side of the hill and finished at the same point. The backside of the climb was shorter but steeper which was not good for me. The pace started extremely fast and dropped most of the riders quickly. I held on for about two or three kilometers but was not able to maintain the pace. Once again I found myself on my own, this time occasionally being passed by a rider or two. Two-thirds up the climb I was caught by Sim and a small group of four others. I managed to sit in with them just as the grade got began to get steeper. All the riders in the group dropped except for Sim, another rider, and myself. About 1k from the top Sim had the legs to attack the other rider and get a few seconds gap and hold it to the finish with the other guy chasing and me coming in about 15-20 seconds back. Not a great day but we both still managed top twenty finishes. I guess not bad considering most of the other riders were from towns around the area, and are used to this type of terrain. By the way these climbs have Liam?s name written all over them.
Yesterday we took my frame to a local fame builder who said he could repair it no problem, so I should have it for the upcoming races this weekend. Thanks to everyone at the shop for jumping through whatever hoops to get a new bike to me. We are not exactly sure what races we are going to do this weekend but it may involve a road race that finished on a climb in the Pyrenees, and or a regional time trial championships, we?ll see. Thanks again for everything.
John P.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Northern Races
On this first weekend in September, John and I drove up to northern France for 2 TTs and a road race. We drove over 5 hours on Sat to a TT. The TTs were what I was most interested in. On Sat I was 12th on the 22k TT. It was very very hot, and on a hilly course. The TV was out there filming, so that was interesting. I averaged 43kph and put in a reasonable time. We then got back in the car and drove another 3 hours to spend the night with some friends of ours near the Nantes area.
Next morning we were up very early to drive about 1.5 hours to a stage race in Cholet. We did a TT in the morning, once again this was my main aim for the day, I didn’t really care much about the road race. I put in a fairly good time, and average 44kph on the 9k TT, however the time gaps were very tight, and it was only good enough for 31st place. I guess it was in the top 3rd of the peleton, but I was quite disappointed. Then we had some food and got on the bikes for the second stage of the race; a 112 km road race. Things started off fairly well, John and I seemed to ride quite well, and we both stayed near the front. I was pretty tired after my two TTs, and luckily for me (I thought) those northern boys don’t climb quite as fast as our Pyrenean riders. Still we hit a hill at the half-way point of the race, the race got strung out and that was the end of the race for me. John was just able to hang on long enough for the pace to settle down a bit, and then he rode a great race. He was in a group of about 7 or so, he looked strong and had a good ride to finish somewhere in the top 40.
Then it was back into the car to drive back to our friends’ place, spend the night, then have to most boring drive ever all the way back home in the driving rain.
BY JOHN PARKS
I hope things are going good, and that everyone at the shop is doing well. As I had expected, this trip has turned out to be anything but a vacation. It is very clear however that coming will be worth every penny both in experience and in fitness training. Sim and I are living a cyclist life in its truest form by training every day, eating lots of pasta, and driving all over the country to race on the weekends. Last weekend we drove seven hours up to northern France for a 22k TT on Saturday and a two stage race on Sunday which included an 8k TT in the morning, a 112 road race in the afternoon, and two speeding tickets. Unlike Sim, I was not extremely interested in the time trials, but focused more on doing well in the road race.
Things operate quite a bit different over here when it comes to races in many ways. One example of this is that categories really don?t mean a whole lot over here. In many of the races, riders are simply grouped together so beginners can be racing against riders who were pro the previous year as well as juniors. This however does not make the race any slower or any less aggressive.
The Saturday TT was impressive in that it had the full production to include a covered start house and ramp, an announcer that introduced each rider and called out times as they crossed the finish line, and team cars to follow each rider on the course. A TV crew was also on hand to film a few of the starts including mine for local broadcast. The officials asked me questions while I was waiting in the start house but after I told them I didn?t speak French, all they did was make gestures and laugh. What are the odds they were saying something derogatory. The Sunday TT was not quite as elaborate but was still beyond what we are used to in the states. I didn’t give great performances in either event nor was I trying to so I couldn’t really judge my fitness with the other riders, but Sim seemed to do fairly well. The road race was another story.
Those boys were fast!
After we rolled out of the town and crossed the official start line, several riders attacked and from that point on, there was either someone attacking, or group of people off the front. Halfway through, the race got strung out over the top of a small climb and for many riders including Sim that was all it took to put them off the back. At some point during the race I looked down at my flight deck and saw that I was going twenty-five mph, up a hill, and it was still below the average speed for the race. I can?t recall the last time I had to work so hard just to stay in a race. I cannot stress enough how fast and aggressive these guys are. The racecourse had us come back into town, then make eight loops around the town. The weather was hot and I was running out of water, so luckily as we came back through town, Sim was there to hand me a couple bottles or I would not have finished for sure. In true form, I felt better as the race went on and by the end felt quite strong but by then the race had already been won by two team mates who crossed the line hand in hand, several minutes before my group reached the finish. Eighty some riders started the race, about fifty finished and I crossed the line somewhere in the mid thirties felling quite pleased with my performance given the sircumstances.
Another hard weekend starts tomorrow with a 90k road race in the Pyrenees that includes two col?s, and a 20k mass start hill climb on Sunday. Other than that, everything else has been great. We went over to a town close to use today and saw a stage finish of the Tour de Lavenier, which was impressive. Americans are representing pretty well this year.
Next morning we were up very early to drive about 1.5 hours to a stage race in Cholet. We did a TT in the morning, once again this was my main aim for the day, I didn’t really care much about the road race. I put in a fairly good time, and average 44kph on the 9k TT, however the time gaps were very tight, and it was only good enough for 31st place. I guess it was in the top 3rd of the peleton, but I was quite disappointed. Then we had some food and got on the bikes for the second stage of the race; a 112 km road race. Things started off fairly well, John and I seemed to ride quite well, and we both stayed near the front. I was pretty tired after my two TTs, and luckily for me (I thought) those northern boys don’t climb quite as fast as our Pyrenean riders. Still we hit a hill at the half-way point of the race, the race got strung out and that was the end of the race for me. John was just able to hang on long enough for the pace to settle down a bit, and then he rode a great race. He was in a group of about 7 or so, he looked strong and had a good ride to finish somewhere in the top 40.
Then it was back into the car to drive back to our friends’ place, spend the night, then have to most boring drive ever all the way back home in the driving rain.
BY JOHN PARKS
I hope things are going good, and that everyone at the shop is doing well. As I had expected, this trip has turned out to be anything but a vacation. It is very clear however that coming will be worth every penny both in experience and in fitness training. Sim and I are living a cyclist life in its truest form by training every day, eating lots of pasta, and driving all over the country to race on the weekends. Last weekend we drove seven hours up to northern France for a 22k TT on Saturday and a two stage race on Sunday which included an 8k TT in the morning, a 112 road race in the afternoon, and two speeding tickets. Unlike Sim, I was not extremely interested in the time trials, but focused more on doing well in the road race.
Things operate quite a bit different over here when it comes to races in many ways. One example of this is that categories really don?t mean a whole lot over here. In many of the races, riders are simply grouped together so beginners can be racing against riders who were pro the previous year as well as juniors. This however does not make the race any slower or any less aggressive.
The Saturday TT was impressive in that it had the full production to include a covered start house and ramp, an announcer that introduced each rider and called out times as they crossed the finish line, and team cars to follow each rider on the course. A TV crew was also on hand to film a few of the starts including mine for local broadcast. The officials asked me questions while I was waiting in the start house but after I told them I didn?t speak French, all they did was make gestures and laugh. What are the odds they were saying something derogatory. The Sunday TT was not quite as elaborate but was still beyond what we are used to in the states. I didn’t give great performances in either event nor was I trying to so I couldn’t really judge my fitness with the other riders, but Sim seemed to do fairly well. The road race was another story.
Those boys were fast!
After we rolled out of the town and crossed the official start line, several riders attacked and from that point on, there was either someone attacking, or group of people off the front. Halfway through, the race got strung out over the top of a small climb and for many riders including Sim that was all it took to put them off the back. At some point during the race I looked down at my flight deck and saw that I was going twenty-five mph, up a hill, and it was still below the average speed for the race. I can?t recall the last time I had to work so hard just to stay in a race. I cannot stress enough how fast and aggressive these guys are. The racecourse had us come back into town, then make eight loops around the town. The weather was hot and I was running out of water, so luckily as we came back through town, Sim was there to hand me a couple bottles or I would not have finished for sure. In true form, I felt better as the race went on and by the end felt quite strong but by then the race had already been won by two team mates who crossed the line hand in hand, several minutes before my group reached the finish. Eighty some riders started the race, about fifty finished and I crossed the line somewhere in the mid thirties felling quite pleased with my performance given the sircumstances.
Another hard weekend starts tomorrow with a 90k road race in the Pyrenees that includes two col?s, and a 20k mass start hill climb on Sunday. Other than that, everything else has been great. We went over to a town close to use today and saw a stage finish of the Tour de Lavenier, which was impressive. Americans are representing pretty well this year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
