HillClimb
The hillclimb at Whiterock is run as a two up sprint up a hill that takes you from Marine drive on the beach to downtown Whiterock in under 2 minutes. Its steep, steeper, steepest all the way to the top and favours riders with explosive high end power. For me its not ideal, but I gave it a whirl and ended up placing somewhere right in the middle of the field. The road race is the focus. Unless you are top 5 this means nothing so I wasnt too concerned.
Road Race
8 am is the earlist I have ever raced and it didnt sit well from the start. Whiterock is a very challanging race with 27 climbs in 130 km all of which are significant. From the start I settled in in the top 50 and was hoping to find the legs after a few laps. It turns out a monster break got away after anly a few minutes including half of the Symmetrics riders in the race. The break went with no action, just a few riders rolling off the front cresting the climb and never looking back. The break was strong, but so was the field so most of us were not phased until the break had 4:30, then it got hairy. With all the major teams represented up ahead it was time to do something so I went to the front to joping about 3 others and started turning. One lap later I summoned the Bicisport train and Jesse and Jamie joined the chase for about half a lap. On the steepest climb of the lap I went to the front and drove it getting a gap with Phil Abbott and Brandon, but Navigators wouldnt let it go and I just ended up causing a major split in the field. That split came back together when Symmetrics jumped on the front and slowed the group through the corners on the top of the course which ended up being a pattern throughout the day. The most important thing is that within just over a lap and a half Bicisport, Nick Friesen, Ryan Andersen and a couple others ended up bringing back the break to 2 minutes from 4:30, it was incredible. We were turning on the front with Symetrics, navigators and ItalPasta just behind looking at us like we were idiots. But when we pulled back 2:30 that quick it must have made an impact. Eventually our firepower dryed up as numerous other teams with noone in the break and 4-5 riders in the group would not come to the front but were content to sprint for 15 place and call it a day. It was a very frustrating race, on the day I could have written an entire post on the negative racing in this country and how way to many teams are just riding at the mercy of the big squads without dearing to show their faces, but now i have cooled off too much and am too tired to give that speech. Ask me personally and I will give it to you.
Crit
The Whiterock crit is a good one. The course is favourable for a guy like mea s it has a bit of a climb in it. The race was 60 laps so in the end that climb took toll on many and allowed me a reasonable finale. It was a fun race with Bicisport once again showing itself at the front. Jamie got in a bit of a move for a few laps and I got myself to the front to try and block for a bit.
All in all Whiterock was a bit of a dissapointment. I didnt get any results to speak of and did alot of work for nothing. Now for Gastown.....
4 comments:
I can't think of anything worse than an uphill sprint. Ugh.
Good work Per, kick some ass!
Per, I think it's the second time I've read your blog. I enjoyed reading about Superweek and I can appreciate what it must've been like to try to move up in Gastown. I had a similar experience there a few years ago. Once you're at the back...
It sounds as if you guys made a push for it in the WRRR. Before I ask you about the negative racing, however, I'm confused about what you mean in your crit coverage by "Jamie got in a bit of a move for a few laps and I got myself to the front to try and block for a bit." I'm guessing you wouldn't consider this negative!
Yeah, I picked up on this half-heartedly. Certainly there can be negative racing but there can also be good strategy and I wonder where you draw the line...
Good luck in Pennsylvania!
-cp
CP,
Thanks for bring up this point.
To explain the crit. Going to the front and blocking would for me mean not actually slowing the race as this is nearly impossible without numbers, but more in the sense of ensuring that riders are not allowed to turn effeciently on the front and ensuring that if anything trys to go clear or bridge that i am in on it putting two Bicisport riders in the break.
As for Whiterock the point I was trying to make was that negative racing was mainly occuring due to countless teams not in the break not contributing to a chase when we had proven that a chase was possible by taking back 2:30 with only 5 guys. These riders then proceeded to emerge in the final 5 km and took many of the top spots in a sprint for 15th rather than combining firepower and bringing the race back. I race for 1st, not for 15th, I wish more people would ditch the starstruck Symmetrics, Navigators are unbeatable attitude and give them a fight.
Wohlberg even approached Jesse Collins after the race and gave Bicisport props for actually racing once the break went clear as we were the best represented team in the chase even though we only had 3 guys. Many teams with 5-6 riders in the peleton sat at the back and played groupride until 5 km to go. That is negative racing.
The problem I find with road racing (in Canada, cause that is all I know) is that lots of guys are afraid to work earlier on in the race. Most riders are trying to save themselves for the last five kilometers. That is fine if there is no chance of getting away or whatever but it really drives me crazy. I totally agree with the Symmetrics/Navigators star struck theory; that was very prevelent at nationasl. The only way to beat them is to attack or chase them down. I'm coming from a skiing background where you work for every meter and still find it hard to go easy at all in any race.
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