Wednesday, September 29, 2010

What a season (and it's still not over)

This past weekend I competed in my last criteriums for the year, The (CBR) Razor's Edge State Criterium Championships. Almost needless to say, I didn't win either race that I entered, but at the same time I didn't ride as complete pack fodder.

So far I've paid an entry fee and had a number pinned on my back 67 times (road races, criteriums, and road and track time trials). I will be racing in a few more road time trials before the year is over.

I had two (2) goals at the start of the season: (1) ride a 40 Km time trial in under an hour and (2) finish a weekend race in a winning breakaway (though not necessarily being first overall in the race). I accomplished goal number 1 pretty readily by finishing with an official time of 58 minutes and 30 seconds at the CBR (California Bicycle Racing) Individual Time Trial State Championships. The course for this race is the classic, Southern California, Avenue E route in Lancaster. It's a flat 20 Km out and 20 Km back. I would have been happy with 59 minutes and 59 seconds so my official time made me feel really good. However, just to keep me humble, my personal record was only good for 7th out of 12 competitors in the Masters Men 50-54 age group.

I did not accomplish goal number 2, though with the number of weekend races that I did, I had plenty of opportunity to make it happen. When I set this goal I didn't realize how much the complexion of Masters 50+ races would change because certain, nationally renowned riders would cross the 50 year-old age threshold. The end result was I tried, but I couldn't do it. My only saving grace was finishing in the points in a weekday race field sprint and field sprinting to a bronze one of the California Senior Games road races.

It's been a good year for bicycle racing and cycling, in general, for me.

2 comments:

stevenb said...

Cleave

This is off topic. I read somewhere you own(ed)a Lapierre Xelius FDJ 400 bike.
I am thinking about buying one from Colorado Cyclist. I am an average rider, not a racer . Is the frame made for aggressive riding ? would you recommend this bike

thanks
Steven

Cleave said...

Hello Steven,

Yes, I have a Lapierre and I bought it from Colorado Cyclist. I like it well enough for racing and I believe it rides well enough for the average, but serious, rider. However, one thing about the geometry (and one of the reasons why I bought it), the head tube is relatively short.

If your position is relatively aggressive on your current bike (handlebars at least 1-1/2" below the saddle) then it should be OK. If not, you may need more than a 6° rise on the stem. I think that would look pretty strange on this frame.

Hope this helps.

BTW, you can see a photo of my bike here:

http://www.pbase.com/cleavel/image/124152111

Where I've Been