Shenandoah TT & Miller School RR - A long family weekend

Man that was a long weekend.  All four of us took to the road for a weekend in the Virginia mountains racing bikes (or as Loren would describe it, sitting in a ditch by the side of the road - yeah, that's it).  The Shenandoah Time Trial in Shenandoah, VA on Saturday and the Miller School Road Race out in the mountains by Charlottesville on Sunday, which would be the age graded champs for VA and MABRA.

Friday we left Arlington around 5:30 to drive out and spend the night in Luray so we could easily get to the Shenandoah TT on Saturday.  Packing 4 bikes and all our stuff in my car was tricky w/ 3 on top and one in the back. 

Mad packing skills

 We stayed at the Mayneview Bed & Breakfast, which was very nice.  Here's the view:

The view of the mountains from the Mayneview Inn

from the Shenandoah News

Up early Saturday morning for the Shenandoah Time Trial.  Liam would go first.  He's decided he wants to race more.  The Shenandoah TT is a fun course, with a decent amount of climbing and I was a little worried how long it would take him.  But he did great.  He did 35minutes which is 5 minutes faster than I'd guessed.  Here's a photo from the local paper

Jake started a few minutes later.  He's still trying to get used to his time trial bike and get the position dialed in.  He finished 4th just 7 seconds out of 3rd.  Not as good as he'd like.  His teammate Avery Wilson won decisively.

 Here's a photo by Jim Wilson

Jake takes the countdown (by Jim Wilson)

Finally I went off in the "Eddie Merckx" class, which means no aero equipment. 

I did this last year and it was painful.  40km.  This year my pacing was better and I felt like I was in a good rhythm. But I pushed too hard and with less than 1km to go I got cocky and took a hard right turn at full speed and overcooked it.  I touched the brakes with locked the wheel putting me in the grass and the next I know I'm slammed on the ground, hitting my head.  I hopped up quickly but my helmet was all askew and my glasses had come off.  I tried to get back on the bike but it was in the big ring and hardest cog and I couldn't get started up hill; I had to get off and shift while pedaling with my hand.  I got going and realized my prescription inserts had come out in the crash.  they would have to wait.  I finished, not full out but finished, then went back and got my inserts from the ditch.    With all that I beat last year's time by 2 minutes.  I'm sure I lost at least 1 minute which also made me lose 2 places at least.
A photo from the local paper (before I crashed)

My helmet was broken, taking the impact as it was designed to.  I was a bit battered and had a few bruises, but it was grass luckily.  We would have to get me a new one in Charlottesville before the Miller School Road Race on Sunday. 

Loren was a trooper, basically sitting in a chair in a ditch on the side of the road all morning.
It was a beautiful drive over the mountain to get to the Charlottesville side.
Saturday night we ate dinner at Jake's favorite dumpling place on the mall in Charlottesville.

Sunday up early again for my 9AM race.  64 miles (really? ouch).  I had no warm up and my body was not happy after the time trial and crash so I was dropped very early, but on the second and third laps I fell in with a 50+ group containing Gino Elysa of HPC.  So that was fun but then the officials told me to go do a 4th lap when they were finished after 3.  That was painful and lonely and I really needed to get back to help the boys.  Instead Loren had to handle it, which of course worked out fine.  But when I finished my long slog the officials weren't even at the finish anymore which pissed me off.

This would be Liam's first road race (non time trial).  We were concerned it would be too hard for him, but for the 10-14 they dropped the big climb and finishing climb.  Oh, did I mention that the National Champion in the 10-12 Road Race was in his race.  The plan was for me to drop Loren off at the feed zone to give Jake a bottle (his 15-18 group would go first) and I would follow Liam in the car to bring him back from the 10-14 finish area. 

Liam waiting for the start

Jake and HPC teammates

 So I dropped off Loren and went driving around the course to find Liam.  I got to a slow car and wait, it wasn't Liam, so I passed that kid went a minute or two then 2 more kids, also not Liam, passed them and drove a bit, another kid, not Liam, then drove a while and finally came upon Liam and another boy riding together being followed by the boy's dad in his car.  Liam was doing great. 

Liam and his companion climb together mid lap

Liam climbs away

 Liam rode strongly and then suddenly dropped the other boy on a downhill and started pulling away.  He pulled away and kept going, finishing strong.

He beat 5 or 6 kids and was 6th overall in the 10-12 group and 2nd in the 10-12 from MABRA

Podium boy junior

Jake's race was stacked.  His whole HPC team was there, including Justin Mauch fresh off winning the Cascades Classic Cat 2 omnium (and submitting for Cat 1 upgrad) and the Miller School brought Chris Keeling who is a Cat 2 and Sam James who won the Jeff Cup Cat 3 at age 16.  Loren said Jake was in a chase group the first time through the feed zone.  We watched as the lead group appeared with Justin sprinting with Jake King (I thought Justin was Shane, my bad).  Justin just got pipped for the win.  Jacob Miller and Matt Clements were right there.  This was the 17-18 strong men (w/ Sam James also)

Just a minute later a rider appeared and someone said "who's that" and I said "it's Jake" and there he was.  He had attacked the second group on the big climb several miles from the finish and held them off.

He was 8th(?) overall, but 2nd in the 15-16 behind Sam James for VA and MABRA, so he got some hardware

Bling

A very nice result on a hard course.  He likes hard, hilly courses.

Loren got to see life of the parents in the feed zone and was a big help getting lunch and taking care of the boys while I was off on my last lap adventure.  I know it wasn't her idea of a relaxing weekend in the country but I'm glad she came.  It was a long weekend and everyone is tired.

Giro di Coppi 2012

This weekend I got to combine my roles as Soigneur Dad and President of Squadra Coppi.  The Giro di Coppi is one of the premier road races in the Mid Atlantic.  It is an unrelentingly hard course providing a never ceasing diet of 30 second to 2 minute climbs.  I've done this race every year for 9 years.  Jake has been coming to the race to help me road guard since he was 8 or 9 and has wanted to ride the course since he was 9, but he has never done the race or even ridden the course because it's too hard for a 10-14 junior category.  This year he would get his first try -- in the 50 mile Cat 3 race.

The team puts a lot of work into this race.  It takes a big effort that starts months in advance.  I can't thank them enough for the work everyone did.

Friday night we had dinner at our sponsor, Vapiano restaurant.  Saturday morning I woke the boys at 6AM.  We needed to pick up donuts and bagels for the police officers who work the race.  The donuts made it to the race without Liam getting into them, so that was something.

Jake lined up with Shane, Matt Amman, Matt Clements, and James P. for the Cat 3 race at 9AM.  I had to run down the the corner where the race would come out of the parking lot, but I got some video of the start.

So, we got the races going and I'm down at the corner by the feedzone so I can road guard and also feed Jake.  When I immediately get a call from a teammate.  During staging Jake told him he forgot his gel and asked if we could hand him a water bottle with gel packs in it.  Liam ran up to the car and got a bottle and some gels.  I was able to get the bottle to Jake their first time past (Liam was set up at the end of the feed zone with a first full of gel in case Jake missed the bottle).  The race continued and Jake was nicely placed in the pack on the 2nd and third time through.  Me and Dave Pedersen were road guards, but Dave was the most stylish.

Here are a few photos of the Cat 3 and Cat 4 by Jay Westcott

James Difilipi and Mike Russo in the Cat 4

Brad Evans pushes the pace in the Cat 3

Here are some added photos by Leslie Olson

James & Jake on probably first lap

Brad Evans & Jake (w/ Wes Schempf on the other side and James Hibbs)

  After they passed the last time, I got a substitute to cover my road guard spot (thanks Drew) and rode my bike to the finish line about a mile up (literally) the road.  It was a long 12 miles from the last time I saw Jake in the field.  I've gotten dropped and cramped up on the last lap of the Giro many times.  I stood there with Sue Hefler who had come to see her boys finish.  Here's what we saw (click through to YouTube to see larger version):

Wow.  Jake was 15th (out of 65 or so).  Incredible.  Matt A was just beaten for 5th by Coppi Dave Wilson (who is riding really strong).  They told us after than Shane had launched a bid for victory with about 2km to go and had a gap with 2 others but they couldn't hold off the pack.

Shane & Jake at roll out

Matt Shane Jake

James Sue Shane

Jake & James at roll out

I really can't say how impressive this result is.  This is a hard hard course.  Grinding, unrelenting.  And this is a strong field.  After a difficult Nationals and a not super finish at Chantilly last weekend (Jake launched off the front with 3 laps to go but couldn't get back into the pack when they caught him after a lap so finished off the back) this confirmed that he has the chops for the Cat 3.  I told him he should have some confidence after this.

I "raced" in the afternoon in the Category 4/5 35+.  It was a way to get a hard training ride. It was a different race that the past 2 years, much more hard attacking or off the gas on the first lap and I got dropped on the 2nd lap after a hard pull trying to close down an escape group was more than my poorly trained legs could handle.  I finished the final lap alone (a full 13 miles less than Jake's).  I was still 27th despite being more than 5 minutes behind.

Liam gave me a water bottle hand up, which he was thrilled to do.  He really enjoyed the race and on the way home said he wants to do some upcoming races (he asked "when is the next flat criterium").  I told him that he needs to spend some time on his bike, so maybe we can do that for the next 2 weeks then throw him into the Shenandoah time trial and maybe the Miller School Road Race.

Overall, the race was a great success, I hope.  I heard many kind words.  We hope everyone enjoyed the race and the atmosphere and the challenging course.

The Recovery Tent was the spot to be (photo by Jay Westcott)