Thursday, December 1, 2011

BB Racing 2011

The rumors of the end of my racing career are greatly exaggerated! My results are nothing to speak of - but I did have a fun season of racing.  These "reports" benefit greatly from the passage of time. I'm sure I remember the races being much better than they were.

And check out the baby photo!

BB

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Road Races:

Santa Rosa Crit (Cat 2 and M35+)
I went up for the opportunity to race twice without having to do P12. Nothing unusual happened except I left my wheels in the pit. The usual things happened. The really big guy in the Clover kit yelled at me for no apparent reason, we went 'round in circles, there was a crash on the last lap of the Cat 2 race.

Burlingame
It was just too fast to do anything. But for the first time in a long time I felt "in the flow" at this race.

Foothill Circuit Race
This race is awesome. I don't know how long the loop is, but longer than an average crit. There's a short hill that I figured would be the end of me by the end of the race. There was a good crowd and it's a super convenient race to ride to from the house! I made it to the base of the hill with the lead group of about 10 the last time around. I cracked so hard that a bunch of people passed me before the finish at the top. Hey I beat Dominic.

Novato Grand Prix
Long course with no real corners and no real hill. People always say that courses without corners are crash tests, but I love this course and I hate crash fests. Two laps to go and I took off. No one came with me. One lap to go two guys bridged up but passed me on the other side of the road. I'll admit that I was cracking - but if they would have come by on my side of the road I would have had a chance to hang with them. The field caught me 1/2 way through the last lap. I think Bill finished well.

Scotts Valley Grand Prix
This one is almost exactly like Novato - except Michael and Beth were there and Michael called me a "hard man" and "sexy" after making my end of race attack but being caught.

Fast and Furious Crit in Pleasanton
This is a fun "high production value" crit. Barriers and banners and a festival and all that jazz. The people of Pleasanton seemed super excited to watch racing even if they had no idea what was actually happening.

One of the other boring Pleasanton races the title of which I forget
Circles, yelling at racers for no reason… nothing out of the ordinary.

SF Grand Prix
This was a fun one. It was the first time I had raced with Rob MacNeil in a very long time. He's a great wheel to follow. So I followed it. I was feeling SO GOOD. Three laps to go and I'm following Rob at about 10th position up the outside on the backstretch through the really bad pavement. Some bozo almost knocks Rob into the curb and we both slam on the brakes and loose our great position. I try to get back near the front but it's pretty much over at that point.

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Now for something completely different - but with a bike racing analogy!
The birth of Evelyn
The next few weeks I rode a bit, but never more than 45 minutes from home. We were within the window where labor could start at any moment. The closest analogy I have from my personal experience that helps to explain what it was like to support Julia through labor was the time in high school that I was on the support team for a friend who qualified for the RAAM in a 36 hour time trial. I barely made it - I have no idea how she did it!

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CX: Because - just like triathlon - it's OK to be going a lot slower than the leaders. No one can tell in the photos that you aren't winning.

I had to sign up for the Open B category because the M123 B sold out weeks in advance for the Pilarcitos series.

Sierra Point
No warm up. Terrible starting grid position. I think I was 94th and the start and I got up to 67th.

Golden Gate Park
Julia and Evelyn came to watch - that was cool. Rand was watching and definitely was out to get me with the heckling. One time through the whooopty-doo thing that you don't quite have to run up Rand said something and I "playfully" gave him the finger. The crowd didn't quite get that this was directed at a single individual which made me feel terrible. The remaining times through this section I tried to ham it up for everyone and grab dollar bills and I took a swig from someone's beer. Rand later told me he appreciated the focus and core strength I demonstrated when I was able to ride up the hill and give him the finger at the same time. Started about 30th. Finished about 60th.

Coyote Point
Great warm up. My favorite course. Decent starting position. Finished 50th.

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That's all I got. Looking forward to next season. 

Friday, July 29, 2011

Steve Pelaez Practices Kung Fu at Nationals


After a week of living it up in NYC with jenna sans kids. i felt like superman with his Bell Lap kit on.

Why? Simple, jenna and i were relaxed and happy. Felt like a 2nd honeymoon. So my testosterone was in overdrive + all the beautiful women that NYC has to offer kept me smiling. Especially in this heat, hoooaaaah, short short skirts everywhere.

Also, i was riding around the city (no helmet) on a foldable bike dodging cabs and pedestrians. That gets your blood pumping.

We raced with the younger dudes (30-34). At first it was confusing how they were gonna score it for both age groups. Either way i figured i'd just win it outright and spank em all. Anyhow, after i took the 1st 2 sprints of 12 (72 laps) i was pretty sure i could manhandle this group so i attacked and elliot logan went with me. I took the next 2 sprints and then lapped the field w/ 35 to go. Unfortunately, elliott dropped off and didn't make the lap. I was egging him on to just hang on and he's guaranteed a silver. Sucks he couldn't make it.

Once i lapped, it was game over. i was able to just enjoy the race for the next 35 laps. I neutralized any breaks and just rode the front in the sphinx position. Btw, the UCI is effectively banning this sweet bar. A-holes!

Tonight is the madison and i'm racing the madison with klipper. I think we'll call ourselves team headlock and punchO. Gonna crush this field under a packed fri night crowd.

It's just awesome racing here. It's like TVC w/ a sweeter faster track.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Merco

I think the last crit I did was Timpani back in 2009. So it’s been awhile! Racing was fun this weekend. I have the fitness, but mytactical skills are a bit off. Hopefully that part will start to clicksoon. I've got to be more patient, sit in and follow wheels better,and conserve. And try and win money in primes rather than think about a break

Merco Crit
March 5, 2011
Masters 35+ 1/2/3
Team mates Tom and Steve
11th of 60-70 ish

The crit course was different this year due to constrcution - it had a180 and it went clock wise. It was maybe 400 meters out of the hairpinto the line. Most people hated it, but I LOVED it. At 40 laps, thiscrit is one of the longest the masters do all year (it was 70minutes). The race started slow, with a few half hearted attacks, soabout 5 laps in I launched my first attack of the 2011 season. It feltgood to be back in the mix!

After that I was either covering most moves, or starting trying tostart them them. I spent a good deal of time off the front.Unfortunately, when I came back gassed from an effort with 14 to goBrian Bosch went and I didn't respond. One other rider (Darren Divine)followed him and that was it. They were gone

I tried to get across several times, with various riders, but it justwasn't meant to be. With about 8 to go I started to sit in and thinkabout the sprint for the minor placings

With two to go Steve rolled up and asked how I was feeling. He was allset to guide me to the front and set me up. But, coming out of thehairpin when we were seeing one to go he cramped! I didn't realize itquickly enough and I totally missed the swarm moving up. I tried tomake up ground on the back side of the course, but could only get sofar. My position going in to the sprint was less than ideal. Out ofthe hairpin I just had no where to go I was too far back to have aclean line anywhere. I never got out of the saddle or was able to openup my sprint - too much traffic. I just had no where to go around.Finished 11th and feeling way too fresh at the end

The good news is that I felt great, and jumping 40 times out of thehairpin was no problem. Fitness is there, the rest will come together

Merco RR
Masters 35+ 1/2/3
March 6, 2011
Team mates Tom and Steve
13th of ~75-80

Despite riding motorcycles, eating way too much, and sleeping well, Iawoke to some tired legs. Back to back race days for the first time ina long time... nothing to do but get out there and do it

Unlike Saturday's perfect 70 degrees and sunny weather, our 8 am startwas about 50 degrees and raining. And it rained the whole race.Fortunately the pack was very sane, and everyone rode smoothly andreally well

My legs were slow to come around. Lack of warm up probably didn'thelp. I covered a few early moves. But, I missed the first big movethat went on the first lap. I tried to bridge a few times, but noluck. I drifted back to sit in some and try and get the legs to wakeup!

As we hit the rollers on the first lap Billy Innes set a hard tempothat lined the group out. It looked like we were catching the breakand I put in a dig up the Snelling feed hill. But, the riders I passedhad Pro/1/2 numbers on.I was confused, and assumed that we WEREN'Tcatching the break. But, I kept going, and had one other guy with me.We got pulled back, and Billy, Yahoo!, and MacNeill put in a few digs,but I still thought the break was up the road. We were nearing thefeed, I drifted back in the pack and ate something and drank abottle. Of course, while I'm back there, Innes and Klein go away. Andwe HAD pulled back the break. So I missed a really key move

Now Innes and Klein were up the road with one other. They only had 3though, so it was likely they could come back. On the last lap, Tomcame up and put in some monster pulls, really impressive, to helpbring it back. Along with the Folsom Bikes team, who did a good jobsetting tempo to help pull the move back

Right before the rollers the break was brought back. I tried to stayup front, but honestly I was hurting. I couldn't let Tom's work go towaste though, so I hung in there. As Tom was rolling back and I'mmoving up. Tom says "okay, they are back. Think Tigerblood!" orsomething like that. In reference to the Charlie Sheen ramblings allover the internet earlier in the week. So I sucked it up, and had todig deep to hang in there and focus

I was trying to stay near Bosch and Briggs - I knew they would betrying to set one of them up for the win. After the Snelling hillSteve came up and was ready to help set me up. I think it will takeanother race or two to work out the kinks - it's been a while since weraced together. But, we'll get there

As I said, my tactics and wheel surfing are rusty. I got swarmed andlost his wheel as he hit the front with 1.5k to go. I hung out a bitand moved up as I could before the left hander at the base of the hillup to the sprint. I was on the inside line there and we came out ofthat and I sprinted up the hill. Both to move up, and because I had nochoice. I crested the hill 10th, but was GASSED. I seriously couldn'tstand up to sprint at that point. Rob MacNeill came FLYING by me andfinished 5th. I just could not get out of the saddle. I got passed bytwo others at the line to finish 13th

That's a hard finish for me, with that little sprint hill before thereal sprint. A little better positioning and maybe I could have beenin contention for a top 5. But really, I think that's my best finishever in that road race, and not *too* bad for the first road race in avery, very long time after a hard crit the day before

Things will start to click soon. I know it


rint hill before the
real sprint. A little better positioning and maybe I could have been
in contention for a top 5. But really, I think that's my best finish
ever in that road race, and not *too* bad for the first road race in a
very, very long time after a hard crit the day before.

Things will start to click soon. I know it.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Cherry Pie 2011 - Dr. Tom

Well, loaded up with some new willow glen bicycles bottles and socks, i headed up for the cherry pie crit.  weather was awesome but super windy.  basically a headwind down the hill and around the big D section of the course.  About 60 guys registered with a large contingent from specialized, safeway, lombardy, and morgan stanely.  a few other teams, red peloton and some others i didn't pay attention to.  

Of course I started in the back but moved up to about mid field before the end of the lap, we weren't really going all that fast the first couple of laps.  A few attacks that quickly came back, until a break of safeway, specialized, and lombardy, plus one other got away.  The extra guy quickly got dropped and the other three seemed to be working well together.  They weren't all that far ahead of the field but there teammates pretty much junked up the front.  After a bit another safeway and specialized guy got away and bridged up to the lead trio.  They still weren't really gaining a lot of time.  

In the field it was pretty goofy.  Guys were getting dropped at the hairpin at the top of the hill, going down the hill, and in the turns.  I guess despite the extended lack of rain there isn't a lot of fitness around right now.  I kept moving around those jokers and at one time I think there were only about 20 of us left but then later the other guys caught back on.  At one point I pulled back a safeway guy through the windy section just for kicks.  

Around halfway, Sayers started getting annoyed and started drilling it for awhile.  We would be single file for most of the lap for a few laps but no one else was helping so the field wasn't making much progress.  Eventually, he got a little group away of 6 guys and then the field really sat up.  Finally, with coming up to three to go, I figured I should give it a go and see what happens.  I accelerated up the hill while billy innes did the same on the other side of the road, dragging the field with him, through the hairpin I was about 5th.  Once out of the hairpin, he sat up as did the other guys, so I rode away on the downhill, got a gap and then stuck with it.  

Not sure how far up on the field I got, but they didn't really seem to be catching me.  I was making slow progress on the two groups in front and ended up catching one guy that had gotten dropped. I stayed away and held the field off for a tenth place finish.   Pretty boring race, I guess there was one crash but it had happened behind me and I really didn't realize it until the next lap when a couple of guys were picking their bikes off the ground.

tom

Pick the Canadian