note: WIP on the hunt for adding pictures
I miss bike racing. So much, that this is a tribute blog post to two races the past week that are both not-exactly races and yet everything I love about pedaling hard and handling the bike. Between that and the dearth of races, it makes writing about these two worthwhile. It’s wordy, and probably the only time I’ll blog about these two kinds of races, so the long post is worth it. Plus this is the kind of race I want to remember for a very long time (although that’s most races)
For those reading this in a distant future that might wonder, “why is there less racing,” the brief answer is between coming out of pandemic/social distancing and the difficulties in promoting and encouraging racing has made the activity much harder to participate in. Other people far smarter and succinct that me have done excellent analysis and bemoan the “death of the sport,” but ultimately there will always be groups of people and bikes and it is inevitable that enough competitive people will start a pedaling contest
The average Greek lived to be twenty eight you best they were pros at carping all that diem
For the first race, this holds a special place in my heart, especially since this is what got me into racing bikes: The New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Yes I’ve been here long enough before it was renamed to International Speedway, and after fifteen years of racing here every spring/summer I probably have forgotten more about racecraft than most people that show up have learned. That doesn’t mean I win regularly (or ever) (OK, it was just once) You can’t even “win” here in the conventional bike racing sense, as it’s a weekly series that accrues both sprint points every few laps that translates into a weekly score that leads to an overall season standing. It’s complicated, but so’s aerodynamics in drafting and sports physiology and bike geometry and reading what other riders are doing while trying to maintain speeds of thirty miles per hour so complicated suits us just fine
R-rated video clip with lots of swearing from a certain vampire cartoon that puts forth my mood whenever I think about how many years I’ve spent bike racing. Yes, it’s in particular the “dawn of life” monologue bit
This race was especially complicated because it’s the last night of the year the season standings would be updated (fall lighting and a long season make it hard to keep going past August) First place was already secured by Doctor_Indefatigable. While some of the regulars high in the standings weren’t there, Doctor_Indefatigable said his goal was to help out his teammate Keep_Blasting accrue more points to hold onto third place in the standings. I don’t think he was in danger of losing position with the points, but it makes a weekly challenge more interesting. Plus, there was a cast of characters that were interested in getting weekly kudos, season standings be dammed. This is as good as a stage to be set for racing
You can tell the nerves were high because Doctor_Indefatigable and Keep_Blasting’s teammate tried to sneak away on the front for the neutral first lap. One day, someone will listen to Bike_Mom’s pre race instructions. After that, the game was every third lap was nightly sprint points, first three racers score, thirty laps on flat NASCAR pavement with a small chicane and a rolling fast finish into a light headwind. It was about twenty riders if that in the fast A group tonight, which is about perfect to keep it interesting and prevent one strong rider from overpowering the group and just ride away off the front
Because I’m riding for myself but I’m friends with everyone there(most of the time) , the plan was to disrupt Keep_Blasting’s teammates efforts to control the race and figure out each lap who’d be a good wheel to follow for a sprint point. After a season of racing and years of riding, you tend to know who’s who and their modus operandi, but everyone can have a breakout ride. A book can be written on the ways to figure out what a rider is going to do before they do it, but the abridged guide tonight was to listen carefully for irregularities behind and watch for uncomfortable upper body postures and slow pedal cadence in front: all bad signs and bad bait. Good wheels to follow to the Promise Land (™) are relaxed arms and backs with a smooth fast pedal technique
The first third of the race was a mixed bag. Three sprint laps of choosing to draft behind the guy sitting on Doctor_Indefatigable’s wheel and not committing properly to a sprint and getting no points in fourth or fifth position. Keep_Blasting, Kid_Green, and Agent_HeavyMetal timed their sprints great and got the points, along with the few scatterings of short solo breakaways from Chariots_OfFire (Keep_Blasting’s teammate) and Manager_WallStreetMeats. That was also nine laps of carefully picking riding lines to save energy and also peeling off Keep_Blasting’s teammate protection from the wind. If you time it right, you can force key riders to do more work to maintain position. I don’t like doing that regularly (again, friends), but it’s bike racing and that was the sole extra advantage I had as a solo experienced racer. Keep_Blasting is three times the pedaler I am, but I’m young enough for risks and crafty enough to not overwork on the front and knew that he also wouldn’t risk going off the front too much to overexert himself and risk being caught and dropped by the main group
After twenty minutes of racing the group dynamic started to shift: by now everyone figured out that Keep_Blasting’s teammates were riding for him and others riders that were a less seasoned (read: have better things to do that come every single week and every single year) were finished trialing and erroring their usual race strategies. Also by now everyone figured out that the key spot to start sprinting was either at the last turn apex (too early for most) or fifty feet into the finish straight (only good if your positioning was perfect)
Quick reshuffle of the order, and racers like Angineer_Wildcat and Goldi_Bikes started being more aggressive and assertive on the front. Fresh legs and smart riding got them some solid sprint points. Which was new (and awesome!), and set aback Doctor_Indefatigable and Keep_Blasting. Couple of their teammates got exhausted and dropped from the field (they can rejoin on being lapped but can’t contest sprint laps) also Comrade_Earnest was still in it! Rolling the fast moves and going for sprints! I can’t remember how long or often he’s stuck with it in the top group and this long, but it’s noticeable enough that I was pumped (I’m also not one to talk, as I get dropped from the front group at least half the time)
At this point for me it’s clear that keeping an eye on Doctor_Indefatigable and Keep_Blasting but not riding right behind them was a good strategy to keep up, but a terrible way to try and beat them to the finish. They were both able to ride away, but for the last points night wouldn’t risk either being dropped or being swarmed by the group right at the points lap. It’s also just rude to sit stalking wheels in the draft, so I start taking a few turns pulling the group fast and smooth on the front. Main group was down to maybe twelve riders now, which would be enough to cooperate and catch anyone off the front, but harder to recover from a mistake and maintain contact
Because making it with the lead group to the finish is always a good (and difficult) goal and I was still in it halfway through, I had to reel back my approach: at this point it’s about saving enough energy and surviving to the end of each sprint lap and the finish. I could still keep disrupting the group dynamics enough to force Keep_Blasting to work more for points, but a bad move on my part would lose contact with the group and be done for the night: again, a lot less wheels to draft behind. Sprint points are still good points, but by now the only way I could contest them and still be ready for a counterattack would be to continue rolling fast if the front slowed down enough. Which worked, at least once and maybe twice, by waiting about fifth wheel from the front and either jumping early in the corner or joining behind another racer doing the same and trying to come around. I think that’s where I got at least one sprint point? Hard to say, as by now riders with more diesel than nitro were attempting solo breakaways for a lap and using the distance to rest before rejoining
With nine laps to go was a good attempt (and maybe the one sprint point for me) to outspeed the group and beat most of the incoming sprinters. Six to go, and everyone was both frustrated by their own tiredness and apparent resilience of others. Three to go, second to last sprint, the counterattack was so hard that I only made it because Comrade_Earnest shouted behind me to go and that was barely enough time to hop on Comrade_Ringer’s wheel. We went an extra fifteen seconds faster that non-sprint lap (which is A LOT, considering a fast lap was just 150 seconds), and the counterattack being so hard and maintaining contact with Comrade’s Ringer’s wheel was the only reason I made it to the final two laps
This part’s important, because Chariots_OfFire decides to play his best move and he rides off the front: he both has to pace his effort to survive the last five minutes (after the counterattack!) and reserve enough energy just in case he has to outkick anyone in the last couple of seconds. He tries it so often that it seems to be fruitless, but this year he’s perfected the maneuver. Tonight it’s a brilliant decision after the hard counterattack, and into the final bell lap he’s about ten seconds ahead. At this point Angineer_Wildcat and Goldi_Bikes jump hard off the front to chase. We as a group make a mistake (or are just too danged tired after twenty nine hard laps) and don’t immediately chase: two versus now six would probably catch them, as the final lap was emotionally the longest and hardest
Turns out it’s also the shortest, with minimal room for error. Third of the way through the lap our group spends too much time watching each other than cooperating to chase Angineer_Wildcat and Goldi_Bikes (not to mention Chariots_OfFire) that’s bike racing, and as ridiculous as it sounds after all of this that’s the game, especially in the moment. Excellent instinct by them, and they rightly deserve the final lap points. So, even though there were no points for us, and with the sun literally setting into the last lap, there was still personal satisfaction and kudos to be had by the surviving, dammit
Doctor_Indefitagable, ever the star role model and rider, puts himself on the front to keep the pace high and do the work for Keep_Blasting. Unfortunately, a lapped teammate sits right behind him. He’s both too tired to ride on the front to sacrifice himself and cognizant enough to know he shouldn’t sprint but should help keep the pace high. They’re both riding a solid inner line to the curve into the finish
But not too close for a good bike handler to slip through. Even with no points, it was too tempting to not win the group sprint, after twenty nine laps. With a thousand feet to go, sitting third wheel, I guide the bike on the delicate inside line between riders and the course and get to the front. Seven hundred feet I’m on the front (of the last surviving group) rolling faster than everyone and do the last hard sprint. It ends up being one of the longest major efforts of the night, and I have to gradually increase the effort just to barely finish ahead out a charging Keep_Blasting
For the number nerds, that was rolling at twenty five miles per hour and sprinting to thirty-three, at about thirteen watts per kilogram power and and 110 cadence, for just twenty seconds. These are also notes for myself because after fifteen years I should really repeat this kind of efforts more often
It was exhausting. And glorious. And I got absolutely nothing of tangible value out of it but everything in great performance and good memories, and that’s basically what I do most Thursdays when the weather’s good for the past fifteen years and may I do it for at least another forty
It’s rare for spectators to show up and take race pictures, so for this time I asked a fellow race to just grab a quick one of me, to help capture the moment (because I’m less inclined to write a thousand words when I have one good picture)