Time to mix it up a bit. I have really been enjoying the road riding that Tucson has been offering up and I wanted to jump in a race to see how it would go. VOS is a really fun race that super close to home so it seemed perfect. It consists of three stages; TT, Road Race, and Crit.
Stage one was an individual time trial, which is definitely my favorite event. For the first year I had a proper time trial bike and helmet. Still working on getting a disc rear wheel, but big improvement from last year. I was stoked, now with proper equipment, to put in a big effort. As it turned out I had a planned recovery week before the race so I was able to go into the race well rested and mentally ready to go, which is important for an all out effort like a TT. I got to the venue a couple hours early to get all the registration stuff done and make sure everything was ready to go. The TT is really important in VOS as it is pretty hard to gain much time in the other stages. I knew my legs were feeling good so I knew I had go as hard as I could. As I rolled down the start ramp I got up to speed quickly and got into a rhythm. It is about a 1 percent climb on the way out so it makes it easy to really push hard. While warming up, I noticed a slight headwind heading North, meaning the usually fast way back would be a bit slower than usual so I conserved a bit on the climb out, knowing that it would be harder than usual. At the 7 mile marker you turn around get a 3 second break as you make the turn. Then its time to lay it down!! I was hurting but felt like I had paced the first half well and had enough left to make it back to the finish strong. I was happy with my race, I improved by over a minute and a half from last year, even with the wind which was awesome! At the end of the day I ended up in fourth with Michael Dessau in 3rd, Ian Moore in 2nd and Greg Daniel in 1st; at 9,15, and 40 seconds.
Day two was the road race. The course consisted of 4 loops of a 16 mile course with one couple mile long hill. My legs didn't feel bad after yesterday so I was ready to go, hopefully make up some time on the guys ahead of me and conserve the gap to 5th. Again I got in a good warm and up and got to the start line about 10 minutes before the start. A couple of minutes before the start we were informed that the Pro/1 field had a major collision with a car and our start would be delayed. Usually a start is delayed 5, maybe 10 minutes but this took nearly 75 minutes. I just tried to stay hydrated and out of the sun and wait. When the road and the riders were safe our race finally got started, but with a shortened race. It was pretty fast right from the get-go. The Garmin Cervelo guys controlled the group well and kept the pace pretty consistent. On the first lap at the top of the climb, which was also the finish, there was a KOM which offered a time bonus. I needed anything I could get so I went for it. I ended up third over the line but only got one second. I was hoping to get in a break but with the shortened race it didn't happen. I sat in the group for the remaining laps, making sure no one got away. On the final time up the hill I felt good and was ready to battle it out. I was positioned well but with about a mile to the finish got a pedal in my rear wheel. I didn't take me down but I found myself now at the back of the pack. I worked my way back up but had to settle with a pack finish.
The third and final day is the criterium in Downtown Phoenix. I didn't really have too much of a plan for the criterium, I was just going to race hard and see what happened. Like yesterday the race started fast and the group split very quickly. I ended up in a lead group of about 20 riders and felt pretty comfortable. I moved up as the laps clicked down and was positioned well. When it came down to the sprint I just didn't feel the kick and again had to settle for a pack finish. I was satisfied though, I stayed safe and preserved my 4th place GC position.
I was very happy with my performance over the three days. I put in a good race and got to ride with a new bunch of guys who I don't usually see. I also got to meet up with some new teammates on my road team, Flagstaff Cycling. We have some seriously strong riders and I look forward to working with them this year. Next is the Mellow Johnny's Pro XCT in Dripping Springs, Texas. I look forward to the next couple weeks hard training in preparation. I am feeling stronger than ever and am excited to kick of the national season with some good form!
Stage one was an individual time trial, which is definitely my favorite event. For the first year I had a proper time trial bike and helmet. Still working on getting a disc rear wheel, but big improvement from last year. I was stoked, now with proper equipment, to put in a big effort. As it turned out I had a planned recovery week before the race so I was able to go into the race well rested and mentally ready to go, which is important for an all out effort like a TT. I got to the venue a couple hours early to get all the registration stuff done and make sure everything was ready to go. The TT is really important in VOS as it is pretty hard to gain much time in the other stages. I knew my legs were feeling good so I knew I had go as hard as I could. As I rolled down the start ramp I got up to speed quickly and got into a rhythm. It is about a 1 percent climb on the way out so it makes it easy to really push hard. While warming up, I noticed a slight headwind heading North, meaning the usually fast way back would be a bit slower than usual so I conserved a bit on the climb out, knowing that it would be harder than usual. At the 7 mile marker you turn around get a 3 second break as you make the turn. Then its time to lay it down!! I was hurting but felt like I had paced the first half well and had enough left to make it back to the finish strong. I was happy with my race, I improved by over a minute and a half from last year, even with the wind which was awesome! At the end of the day I ended up in fourth with Michael Dessau in 3rd, Ian Moore in 2nd and Greg Daniel in 1st; at 9,15, and 40 seconds.
Day two was the road race. The course consisted of 4 loops of a 16 mile course with one couple mile long hill. My legs didn't feel bad after yesterday so I was ready to go, hopefully make up some time on the guys ahead of me and conserve the gap to 5th. Again I got in a good warm and up and got to the start line about 10 minutes before the start. A couple of minutes before the start we were informed that the Pro/1 field had a major collision with a car and our start would be delayed. Usually a start is delayed 5, maybe 10 minutes but this took nearly 75 minutes. I just tried to stay hydrated and out of the sun and wait. When the road and the riders were safe our race finally got started, but with a shortened race. It was pretty fast right from the get-go. The Garmin Cervelo guys controlled the group well and kept the pace pretty consistent. On the first lap at the top of the climb, which was also the finish, there was a KOM which offered a time bonus. I needed anything I could get so I went for it. I ended up third over the line but only got one second. I was hoping to get in a break but with the shortened race it didn't happen. I sat in the group for the remaining laps, making sure no one got away. On the final time up the hill I felt good and was ready to battle it out. I was positioned well but with about a mile to the finish got a pedal in my rear wheel. I didn't take me down but I found myself now at the back of the pack. I worked my way back up but had to settle with a pack finish.
The third and final day is the criterium in Downtown Phoenix. I didn't really have too much of a plan for the criterium, I was just going to race hard and see what happened. Like yesterday the race started fast and the group split very quickly. I ended up in a lead group of about 20 riders and felt pretty comfortable. I moved up as the laps clicked down and was positioned well. When it came down to the sprint I just didn't feel the kick and again had to settle for a pack finish. I was satisfied though, I stayed safe and preserved my 4th place GC position.
I was very happy with my performance over the three days. I put in a good race and got to ride with a new bunch of guys who I don't usually see. I also got to meet up with some new teammates on my road team, Flagstaff Cycling. We have some seriously strong riders and I look forward to working with them this year. Next is the Mellow Johnny's Pro XCT in Dripping Springs, Texas. I look forward to the next couple weeks hard training in preparation. I am feeling stronger than ever and am excited to kick of the national season with some good form!
