Storming the Fort (Olympic Race Report)

Last race report for a while... since, as of right now, this was the last race I had scheduled. As much as I have enjoyed just racing for fun this year with no pressure of a "Big" race to finish off with, it time to start winding down the racing (This month so far I've raced 5 times) and start working on my weaknesses... primarily my running.  That's a post for another time though. Today it's all about the Storm the Fort Olympic Tri.

Cannon Trophies!

The Pregame: Bad Luck take 1

Friday night I had some Sushi with Jenny and then turned in early so I would have time to get everything packed and make the hour(+) drive to Kingston by the time transition opened. (6a.m.) I make one last check over the Planet X and everything seems to be working perfectly.

Saturday all goes to plan. Heck, I'm actually feeling really good. Breakfast (Oats, Banana, Coffee, 2 Eggs) in and I'm out the door. I find some optimal parking and set up transition/get body marked. I see Josh and we banter for a while until the sun comes up and it's time to warm up. I unrack and head out for a good ride. Two miles into the bike is the only significant climb (a Category 5 though) and I want to get up it in warmup to see what gear I need to be in. I shift down into the small ring (42t) and feel like I've found a comfortable gear. I turn around to head back and try to upshift... I'm met by a bad grinding noise and no shift.

WTF.

You hear me baby? Hold Together!

I get off and inspect. It seems that my FD has pulled itself down into the way of the (Osymetric) chainrings. Crap. I limp back to transition and fortunately there is a mechanic from an LBS. I explain my problem (he looks at me like I'm crazy at first) but he does have some tools and threadlocker so we get the FD set back up "good enough" to get me through the race... hopefully. I have to cut my warmup a bit short and end up hustling to get in my swimskin and in the water before the start. I find Josh and some of the other guys I normally swim around/behind and get near them, waiting for the Cannon to fire. All the men 40 and under get pretty crowded together.

The Swim (24:54 - 12th OA, 1st AG)

BOOM!

Out of my way! I hear they're having hot dogs post race!

Contact is immediate. I'm punched right in the right side of the face, slapped on the back of the head from the left and all around just beat up. It was a fairly violent start, but I keep my cool and follow a set of feet for the first 150-200m. At that point things have calmed down but I can't keep my feet's pace, so I settle into my race pace expecting to find another set pretty soon. A few minutes later I realize I haven't seen anyone pass me. A few times I feel a slap on my own feet, but even that is fleeting. I sight a bit more than usual since I am almost afraid I've somehow went off course. Nope... buoys to the left, canoes to the right... seems like I'm on track. I plow on, making the final sharp turn back to the ramp. I exit onto the mat and see the guy helping with the exit who is telling me "4th."

4th out of the water? Me?

Man, sweet. I guess the changes I've made to my stroke have really payed off. No time to pat myself on the back though, off to transition.

T1: (1:07)

My dad is such a snazzy dresser

I run into t1 and fuss with my Xterra swimskin for a minute before getting my helmet and glasses on. Then it's a quick hop onto the bike (and narrowly avoiding my buddy Jimmy who is right on me with a camera) and off to the bike ride.

The Bike (1:03:14 - 2nd OA, 2nd AG)

Let's just get it out of the way... I'm nervous as crap about my Derailleur. I'm very worried about shifting up/down pulling it back down into the rings, so I choose to be VERY sparing with my upshifts/downshifts in the front. The plan is to only drop to the small on the first and last climb and then muscle through all of the rollers. As far as pace/power goes, I'm aiming for an Intensity factor of ~1.00 or possibly just a little over. The bike course is pretty optimal for a fast position, with some fast downhill to match the climbing and only 2 actual turns, so staying in aero was king.

Awesome picture by Eric Barger

I hit the turnaround and grab a bottle just to dump some water on my head (and score a free bottle!) I see the three riders in front of me but they have a pretty significant gap and I am not willing to kill myself on the bike just to walk the run. At the second turn the road becomes pretty rough and you start the second uphill section. I shift down... and drop my chain! I immediately shift back up (you can normally save a dropped chain that way if you didn't know) however my chain has lodged itself between the ring and the (obviously) improperly adjusted chain catcher. I jump off the bike, cussing and spitting and start trying to jam the chain back up onto the rings. After what seemed like forever I get it back in place and take off again, except covered in bike grease this time :) I check my timer and realize I was terribly close to have a sub hour 40k, but have to settle for 3 minutes over. Sigh. Back to transition with no more incidents.

T2: (:34)

Hop off the bike at the dismount line and run it in to the rack. Zoots on and grab the belt/hat and take off out the gates. Now to see if I put enough time into the runners to keep my position.

The Run (42:52 - 22nd OA, 7th AG)

I'm that little blue dot at the bottom of the hill :( Sigh...

The death march begins. My goal is just to go by feel and try not to bleed too much time. I haven't been running a lot (due to the bike racing) and I've never been a terribly great runner, so modest goals are what I'm after. The course is fairly flat for the first 5 miles, then makes a longish climb up to the fort the last mile. (Pff... building forts on elevated ground... who thought that up) As I close in on the turnaround I get a good view of the guys in front and behind me. I am definitely NOT catching anyone in front of me unless they have a massive blowup, and I've got a fairly significant lead on *MOST* of the guys behind me... the exception being Andrew. He's the closest to me and he's a MUCH better runner than I am. (He's also the guy with the #1 Bike split) I figure it's going to be close depending on just how fast I am running and how well I stay together. We make it past transition (mile 5) on our way to the fort when I hear breathing behind me. Too soon. I glance back to confirm it's him (it is) and try to work some plan out. As he comes beside me I give all the gas I've got into a move dropping my pace... hoping that he's hurting too and he'll crack. He's strong and obviously up for the challenge, matching my surge. I shake my head and give him the "you got me" and back off before I burn myself totally out. As we start snaking up the hill to the fort you can get a good view of the guys below you and I'm able to see another fellow chasing hard. I still have to walk the final aid station to give myself a break, but manage to find a little bit of juice left to sprint and stay ahead for the line. (although he was from the M40+ wave, so he backed off as he was already ahead of me overall) Overall not a disastrous run (7min/miles is about where I should be on pace) but still nothing inspiring.

Alright so now that that's over, let's play cowboys and Indians!

I grab some food and a coke to refuel, hang out and watch the other guys come though and just wait around for the results. 2nd AG and 6th OA. Not the worst performance ever. I get my cannon and then wait for the announcement for the 'Grand Prix series' awards. Despite DNF'ing at the race earlier this year I still had enough points to end up 1st in my age group... scoring a jacket for my trouble.

Shoutouts to Josh, Rebekah and Sharon who also crushed their Categories in the competition and had good races on the day.

And now it's time for me to learn how to run. It's easy to see when you compare my splits (12th/2nd/22nd) where I'm weakest.  The solution isn't quite as simple as more = more... but that's a good start. It's also a good time to see what's up with the bike. Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading, I appreciate it!

- Christopher Morelock

SRS Knoxville - back to bike racing

Continuing the trend of being terribly unfocused this year, I signed up for another Crit / Road Race, this time with SRS. I want to try to get as many races in as I can, I really feel like it's the best (only) way to increase my skills in dedicated bike racing. I also want to have my 10 start/finishes so that I can move to a Cat4 when I am ready. Anyways, on to the races.

Saturday - Criterium (7/15)

On the far left in the Red/white. Getting last minute instructions.

The crit race was quite a bit different from every one I've done in the past. Basically a NASCAR course (except with right turns instead of lefts) with one Cat5 climb(!) at the very beginning. Our race was 35 minutes + 5 laps, with an intermediate prime lap.  I had decided beforehand to race the prime lap and let the chips fall for the rest of the race. We line up and I'm immediately scolded for holding on to the fencing...foot down...right right. There are two other Knoxvelo riders in the CAT5's, and so I expect we've got a shot. The race goes about how you would expect for the first few laps, with everyone together figuring out what lines are best and who's feeling good. At one point I move up to the front to speak with the other Knoxvelo rider (also named Chris) and ask how he's feeling. He's noncommittal and so I back off. As we come around the start line again the bell rings for the prime lap and so I make my move, taking the steep climb in the big ring and putting a sizable gap between everyone except myself and Chris who jumped on. I spend most of my matchbook making sure we have no challengers but Chris jumps me in the final corner and takes the prime without a response from me. I try to catch his wheel but know I've burned myself out, so I sit up and spin the hill again and wait to be swallowed by the field. I am swallowed by relief when I hear the "5 laps to go" on the microphone, I am yo-yo'ing off the back of the pack at this point, suffering up every time we climb and trying to keep contact the rest of the way back down. At 2 laps to go I notice the rider in front of me has fallen off the group and I'm unable (and unwilling) to try to bridge back up. We unremarkably stick together the last two laps and finish a few seconds off the back.  Chris was able to keep the gap created on the prime lap and went on to win the race. (and get moved to CAT4 seeing that he won the prime lap and the finish.) I was a bit bummed out at my finish... I had hoped to be stronger at the end, but I worked too hard too early.

Looking sort of like I have some idea what I'm doing... although I don't :)

After my race I was ready to watch my friend Jimmy race the CAT4's, but his day was worse than mine. He started with gravel in his cleat, preventing him from clipping in at the start. Then after catching back on, he flatted on the third lap. Not the greatest day for the good guys.

Jimmy had a rough day too. His kit is also awesomely hideous.

Sunday - Road Race (4/24)

I wake up and I hurt. That Crit really took a lot out of me. For the first (but not the last) time that day I consider not racing. I get some food and coffee and start feeling a bit better. I decide to go see what I have left in the legs.

The road race was a 10 mile course that we would be doing laps (4) on. I did not have a chance to preview the course, so going in I knew I was at a disadvantage. CAT5's started late in the day, and by the time I arrived most of the other races were either finishing or well under way. As I am getting my things out of the car I start hearing the horror stories. The men's Pro/1/2 race is littered with DNF's from crashes. The women (Pro/1/2) decided to cut their race to two laps due to the danger. Rain in the morning had caused the roads under the canopy cover to stay wet, and the leaves/grass on the road had become like Ice on an already fairly technical course. One of the Pro men said one turn wrecked close to 20 guys.  I see Jerome and he tells me I may want to consider not racing.

A start to a rainy day. This kid in the front was crushing it all weekend!

I consider it for a few minutes, but... Fortune favors fools. My goal goes from "try to do well" to "finish rubber side down."  We end up having to wait 30-40 minutes for some of the other groups to finish, and as we line up for the start it begins sprinkling and then full on raining. We have a bit of a gentleman's agreement to take it easy the first lap and get a feel for the course.

I immediately fall towards the back of the pack. I'm not feeling great AND my sunglasses are limiting my vision. I should have RAIN'X'd them beforehand... now I'm choosing between taking them off and being partially blind. I decide that getting crap thrown up in my eyes is too big a risk and for the remainder of the race suck it up and make the best out of it. Only two guys go down in our race, and neither of them are hurt. On the second lap we split the group in half and continue at our steady pace. On the last part of the third lap one rider makes a jump. Nobody responds and he claws a solid minute and a half lead over us. I'm not exactly feeling great, so I'm just happy to still be in contact with the pack. As it turns out, that's pretty much the sentiment across the board, so we stay together and never pull him back below a minute. We turn onto the final straightaway pretty much all together as we have been all day.

I think this was the start of lap 3. I was trying really hard not to lose contact.

At 500m the road becomes open (both lanes) and the attack starts. I jump behind the first two men out and we pull a good lead. The second pull comes behind us just as the road pitches to the finish. At the last (50m?) corner to the line I'm pushed outside by the first guy that jumped fading... another guy takes the inside of the corner and manages to just out sprint me for 3rd place.  (with the same finish time...sigh)

Digging to hold onto 4th... I am so dead on this last incline.

Frick.

Nonetheless, the goal was to finish... then the goal was to finish with the group... so 4th place was much better than I expected. I was very happy I decided to race. I learned a lot and actually had a pretty good day on a tough day. Sadly I still haven't gone above 900 watts in my sprints. I really need to work on my final kick if I want to beat some of these guys on the line. Oh well, I'm a triathlete, not a cyclist :)

My socks and gloves make a perfect line to show how dirty I am.

So that was SRS weekend, another venture (dabbling) in bike racing. This weekend will be my (probably) last triathlon this year, Storm the Fort in Kingston TN. (An Olympic) After that it will be time to learn how to properly run.

Thanks so much for checking out the blog. It means a lot.

- Christopher Morelock

REVIEW!!! Osymetric Chainrings

Is there any other first picture that would have made sense?
Also one of the few pictures of Froome where he isn't looking directly at his stem...

Those weird chainrings. (Link to the US Site) Hefty claims are made (7-10% more power) and they've shown up underneath the dominant British the last few years (Both Froome and Wiggo rode with yellow on their shoulders and Osy rings. Wiggins also won the Olympic TT on them, however the latest gossip is that he has quit using them, although Froome has continued on with them.) David Millar (a bit of an underground hero to those of us who like to tinker with our bikes) has been spotted on them on and off. And yet, the obvious elephant in the room remains... if they are helping with these dominating performances, why isn't everyone jumping on board.

You can tell I watch Millar's setups.

Now, for those of you who found my blog with a google search of "Osymetric chainrings review" I'm going to be nice to you and give you a quick answer to the question you are undoubtedly scouring the internet for. I don't have the proof that they work. If you want a well conducted "study" I suggest you check out Tom's blog, where he does some real meat and potato testing. (Tom is a smart guy who I make it a point to listen to, so I'm inclined to believe he is right when it comes to the measurements.) So, if all you are looking for is a 100% solid "yes, my watts went up 7% and no other variables were involved" then I'm sorry, no help here. If you care to hear my thoughts however, buckle down and read on.

I know, I just linked you to a blog that pretty much says these things don't work, then agreed with him and told you he knows more than I do about this stuff. So, pretty short blog post huh. Well...yes and no. If it were all that simple, I would most definitely have packed mine back in the box and listed them on ebay... and yet here I am, still riding them and still liking them. And so, the plot thickens... on to my review.

Prelude: Price

Yes, they are expensive. As a niche "competitive" bike part, what else would you expect. At $329 for a set (depending on how good of a shopper you are) I'd almost classify them as "prohibitively expensive." That's a lot of money to spend on rings you aren't sure will even work out for you. That said, fortune favors the bold (and there is a pretty good secondary market for them so you aren't totally out if you decide you don't like them.)

Part 1: Installation

Correctly installed, notice the height of the derailleur.

A bit closer view. Sorry, my Graphic Design professor would have told you I was hopeless with a camera.

The first thing you are going to hear about when it comes to Osymetric rings is that they are a pain in the butt to install and a pain in the butt to get shifting correctly. The former is a bit bike (and more specifically your front derailleur mount) dependent and the latter is just plain false, at least on a TT bike.

That said, it was a bit of work to get them installed on my Planet X. The Front Derailleur being brazed on presented a challenge in itself. The large chainring (a 56t, probably too big for me, but hey it has worked out fine so far.) would not clear the front derailleur even with the included spacers (which push the FD farther back.) This is almost certainly not a problem with any chainring except the 56t, but it is an issue. The solution was fortunately pretty simple. I removed the Derailleur hanger and dremeled some extra space to mount it higher on the frames braze on. I've also seen a different riser block for sale that solves the problem by letting you mount the FD higher up (if you aren't into modifying your bike) if you don't mind spending some extra cash. If you had a clamp on FD this problem is obviously moot since you have all the room in the world to play with.

Frontal view of the FD/catcher.

Once the rings were on and the necessary clearance was gained, it was just a matter of setting the derailleur up correctly. I don't see what the big gripe here is... just take your time and set the derailleur up correctly and it should work fine. Most people's problem with this stuff is they just don't take the time to get the FD lined up and spaced right. You may need to add the little (included) spacer to widen the FD cage, but that's simple stuff and should get you the space needed to reach most gear combos. (even the one's you shouldn't be in, although extreme cross chaining is will still result in a grind... shame on you for being in that gear anyways)

Anyways, for the moderately proficient wrench these should not be a problem to install.

Part 2: The Ride

My last TT warmup on the Osy's. I had a great ride.

When it comes down to it, this is the part that is most important. (IMO) How is the ride? Well, from my n=1 experience, it's great. Most people say it takes 2-3 good rides to get used to the rings... for me it felt natural almost immediately (seriously, like 30" into the first ride I felt "normal") of course this could be due to the fact that I've always been a masher, especially when it comes to my tri bike. I assume that the more you "spin" the more awkward it is and the longer it would take to be natural, but for somebody like me who has always felt best at a mid-80's cadence...well, it was awesome.

--- Warning: This next been is HIGHLY subject to Placebo effect and Variance ---

The first "real" trainer ride I did on them I set two new power records (5' and 40') both of which were around 5-7% higher than the previous records. Now, here's the disclaimer... It's been a while since I had rode 5' sets at a high power %, so most likely I would have been faster on any rings. (the 40' record is also not a good indicator as I normally don't try for "40min" power records) Nonetheless, it did feel good to put down a new record on them. Obviously there's also the "this makes you faster" effect, which in turn can convince the (weak?) mind that you can push harder... whatever. Science is for some people, but I'm a romantic.

--- End of questionable n=1 ---

Still, that's not what sold me on keeping the rings. I like them because of how they feel while I'm in aero. It's tough to describe, but I simply feel like I have an easier time breathing on these things. Again, this could be in my head, but historically I have a hardish time staying in aero on 110% + sets on the trainer for the whole set. I just have a hard time getting the oxygen. Once I started using these things, bingo, staying down for every set, no problem. Could just be a fitness thing... (although that doesn't seem likely) could be pixie dust, could be Osymetric Chainrings. Whatever it is, I like it.

The one "flaw" to the rings is that the shifting is not "crisp" like you are likely used to. No pins, no ramps, just metal. Personally, I haven't had any trouble shifting from big to small (I do - and it's recommended - to run a chain catcher... but that's just a good idea anyways) at all, and the only trouble I ever have going from small to big is when I am pedaling through the shift and not "clutching" (backing off) for the shift. I've still always had it make the shift, but it sounds like hell doing it. In most TT's / tri's it's not much of an issue as I'm almost always in my big chainring, but it's something to consider. (and plan around)

Final thoughts:

Nothing witty to say here... I just always thought the "Wiggo Punch" was a cool end to the 2012 Tour. Oh he was riding Osymetrics too... so I guess that is sort of relevant. Kinda.

THIS is good for extended reading if you haven't already been through it. It's basically going to tell you what everything else on the interwebs will tell you... do they work? We aren't totally sure. Most sources agree that they "may" benefit certain riders, and that they "probably" don't hurt... so unfortunately... we're still floating in the same boat. For me, personally, I'm going to continue using mine. I'm also on the fence about getting a set for use on (one of) my road bikes. On the one hand, I really, REALLY like my Wickwerks (review here) rings, but I really like the way these things feel. I suppose trying them on Indexed front shifting is the next step. (I have my reservations about it, but it could be unfounded.)

So, much like saddles, aerobar bends, doubletap / sti shifting and many other things in cycling, a lot of whether these things will work well or not for YOU depends on YOU. For me, they're staying on my TT bike from now on, and I'm at least going to consider them on future road builds.

Thanks for reading, let me know if you had any experience with them.

Another road race/crit for me this weekend, and then an Olympic (possibly my last race this season) the week after. Hopefully it'll all go smoothly :)

Keep the rubber down and ride hard

-Christopher Morelock

*PS - FTP Test last night. 20' Power was 307watts! Hoping I can muster a 300watt FTP by next season.

My mistake (all of them)

It seems like I've done quite a few race reports lately, which is a good thing as it means I've been healthy and racing. Most race reports (mine included) fall into a very mundane routine though... I performed to my fitness level and things went *basically* how everyone expected they would go. Yawn... what did we learn... that I know how to swim bike and run at least competently.

So let's do a little derailing this week. Here's how my sprint went terribly off track. It's a cautionary tale of how getting "comfortable" and overconfident can come back and really bite you in the butt.

Coherent race execution? Negative.

Friday Night - Mistake #1

Date night is always sketchy before a race. You have to find that balance between having a good time and getting adequate rest. Normally I try to schedule around a race, but it wasn't in the cards for this week. We go have sushi and plan to watch a friend play piano at a local coffee shop. Unfortunately he doesn't take the stage until 9p.m. I'm usually in bed by 8 the night before a race, so you can see where the trouble starts. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time, but not going to bed until 11 is not what you should do when the alarm is set for 4:30a.m.

Race Day Morning - Mistakes #2, #3 and #4

This was a jumble of bad decisions. Since I hit the snooze button on my phone a couple of times, I was not promptly on time for the open of transition. That being the case, instead of having a prime spot to rack my bike, I'm stuck far on the outside of the rack... which will definitely add seconds to my transitions.

No rest for the weary. Or the dead. Or the undead. Possibly for the was-un-but now dead again - dead.

Next up was to try something innocent but new on race day. I had forgot to pack a snack for pre-race, so I bummed a LarAbar ALT from a buddy. This is a protein bar and although you'd think something as simple as this wouldn't matter... I believe it had some impact (negatively) on my race. There's a reason we say nothing new on race day...

Finally, my warmup was laughably inadequate. As I've been training through my races this season I've been in need of longer warmups to "get in the groove" before a race. Of course, hopping on my bike to make sure it was in working order and then standing in transition and talking for the 30 minutes leading up to start time is NOT a competent warmup. By the time we were in line for the swim start, I don't think I was "warm" at all.

All of those are relatively small things, but small things move mountains when they start adding up.

Swimming - Thankfully no mistakes made (2:59 / 200y)

The swim was both short and uneventful. I should be flip turning under lanes, something I don't practice in the pool. No excuse, it would give me a couple of free seconds.

Possible to go off course with a black line? Proving it in this picture.

Transition 1 - Practice the flying squirrel (1:07)

My t1's have been uninspiring as of late. I know (and I've said before) I have no excuse not to speed myself up a second or two by getting my "hop" down solidly... but I have been apathetic and not practiced. My transition this time was likewise generic other than having to run a little bit farther and going under the rack.

Not exactly the "optimal" place for a fast transition.

Biking too D#%^ Hard - Mistake #5 (22:00 / 9.32 mi)

I've been riding A LOT lately. My power has improved and my feel on the bike has improved. However, I've been finishing my cycling and that's it. Done. This is triathlon, where there's a run that comes AFTER the bike ride. So when I cruised through the course at a hot 25mph avg, all I was doing was time trialing. I've heard it said a few times that there is no such thing as a good bike followed by a crap run, and I totally agree. A couple of seconds (even a minute) slower on the bike would have most likely saved me quite a few minutes on the run. As a bigger slap in the face, I was only the second fastest bike split (by :09) - if I was going to overcook the bike I should have really went all out and at least had the fastest split :)



Not smart enough to keep the power under control...

Transition 2 - Redeeming quality (:33)

I've got a pretty solid T2. Having to run to the middle of nowhere to rack the bike added a couple of seconds, but overall it was still a fast transition.

Coming into T2 like I know what I'm doing.

Running on E - Being happy with a miserable time (19:45 / 3mi - probably shorter than that)

Happy with a crappy run split (36th fastest run! Holy crap...blah) and not listing any mistakes? That's right. Despite my run being terrible, I think it was actually one of the better executed parts of this race. I started in second place and knew my final placing would be a matter of "holding on" to the advantage I had made myself. At the 1mi mark I had been passed by two other runners. I decided NOT to attempt to pace them... I knew I didn't have the legs for it. So I settled in my own hard pace and carried on. At 1 1/2 miles the side stitches started hitting me. BAD. I've had stitches before, but never this bad. I was badly overheating and each breath really felt like a knife in the abs. I did what I needed to do. I slowed down. As I pass by the pool / transition area for the last mile... I walk. That's right...walking in a sprint. Despite the cheers to keep pushing, I knew I needed to get my body back under control. The thing I kept telling myself is "Just keep moving, slow down the least you can." I wasn't running, but I wasn't stopping either. At mile 2 I felt good enough to start a (albeit slow) run again. The side stitch came back, but at a tolerable pain level instead of a debilitating one. I manage to finish the run and somehow salvage 7th overall and 2nd in my Age group.



Going out for my fun run/walk...

I had the fitness to do much better, but my mistakes cost me quite a bit.  However, I learned (or in many cases...was reminded) quite a few things from this race, and hopefully it will help me grow as an athlete. Hopefully it will also help you all learn from my mistakes!

Well, tonight it's back to Crit racing. This weekend I've got a break from racing to get in a long run and some battery recharging, then it's the SRS Bike Race/Crit the next week followed by the Storm the Fort Olympic. Just to round out the month I'll be going to Dragon Con the final week of the month! (Yes I'm a big nerd) I still have to find a (cheap) costume though.

Dragon Con... the coolest (and strangest) place on earth.

That's it! Thanks for reading this weeks installment of my thoughts. I really appreciate it!

- Christopher Morelock