Like I posted yesterday, Snake Alley is one of my favorite races of the year. This year I didn’t have super big aspirations, but thought I could ride alright. And I did, sort of.

I woke up yesterday morning and my shoulder was aching like crazy. And I could hardly move it. I have no idea what that is all about. It must of been something to do with the cool weather. Even after the race, I was about where I was at 2 months ago in movement.

It had rained most of the day, but cleared about an 1/2 hour before the women’s race, which was right before the 1/2 race.

I got one of the few call-ups to the front, mainly since I’ve won the race a couple times before. I wasn’t planning on starting at any break neck speed, just ride steady. I rode up the hill pretty easy the first few laps. I actually just sat up over the top, realizing that I could coast back up the guys in front of me on the headwind descent.

I felt okay the first 3 laps, then started feeling worse. It was mainly the last couple switchbacks at the top of the climb. I was recovering alright, I just didn’t have the juice to ride the hill the whole way at speed. But after 3 or 4 bad laps, it seemed to be getting better. I was making it further and further up the climb each time good.

Then disaster stuck at 10 to go, which is 1/2 way through the race. I was sprinting onto the bricks on the left side and shifting as I entered the alley. But, I got a little cut off and had to do a stutter coast/pedal thing. When I started pedaling, my chain popped off to the inside. It is the first time that I’ve ever dropped my chain at this race and I’ve raced it a ton of times. It is the first time I’ve dropped my chain riding Di2 also. I think it was the coasting while the shifting was taking place. Whatever the reason, I had to stop and put my chain back on and try to get going on the steep pitch. It was over the second it happened.

I lost 30 seconds on that lap, according to the Strava record to the right. It seemed like a ton more. I kind of gave up, but then decided to just keep going. A guy had ridden up to me when I was messing around and I rode the last 8 laps with him. We actually weren’t going that bad. If you take the 30 seconds I lost the lap I dropped my chain, we lost less than minute to the front group the last 1/2 of the race which was 24 minutes. That isn’t so much, considering.

Texas Road House guys got 1st and 2nd. Adam Leibovitz won the race out of a field sprint of over 20 riders. He won the Collegiate Nationals and is riding pretty good this season so far. For sure I would have been in there. I was riding so much better the 2nd have of the race than the first. I have no idea how it would have turned out, but I’m okay with the way I rode.

I haven’t been riding the power meter very long. I have a average wattage of 340 watts for the race, which is much higher than any training ride I’ve done. I don’t know what the means in comparison to anything else, but once I get some form and race a lot more, than number should be considerably higher I’d think. I knew I was going better towards the end. The last lap up the climb, I rode the 2nd highest wattage of the race at 578 watts and it didn’t seem nearly as hard as most of the previous laps.

It is supposed to rain today for Mellon City and rain tomorrow for the Quad Cities Criterium. Mellow City should be alright in the wet, but Quad Cities will be ugly.

Results. A little hard to read because of the glare. You can click twice to enlarge.

I stole this photo off Facebook.

Here is a picture of some of the climb from about 2/3 the way up.

Kim Epen won the women’s race. She looked super strong.

I have these tires mounted up on some fast wheels for the next two days.

Something is the matter with my saddle. I’m putting a new one on this morning.

Jeff Bradley making us some awesome chicken, asparagus risotto for dinner last night.

Most the McDonald’s in Iowa and Wisconsin serve real butter with their pancakes. I like it so much more.

Yesterday was day 3 of a 4 day weekend for me over Memorial Day. Melon City is probably the easiest race out of all 4, even though the course is challenging. It’s a one mile criterium on the side of a shallow hill. Big ring climb for a couple hundred meters, into a U-turn that is 75 meters from the finish line.

It was raining most of the day yesterday. But, luckily, it eased up about an hour before the women’s race, which was at 3. Catherine and I drove over to Muscatine from Davenport and got to ride without getting our chamois all wet before the races. Right about the time the women’s race, it started raining some. That was how it would be for the next couple hours, raining on and off.

The women’s race was a field sprint. Catherine ended up 7th, which was a vast improvement over her Snake Alley results. She has had a pretty slow start to the year after collapsing a lung at Cyclo-x Nationals and not being able to ride for 6 weeks because of it.

The men’s race was wet most all day. We did 40 laps, which is 40 miles. I felt pretty horrible the first 5-10 laps. My left hamstring was super tight and I wasn’t riding uphill worth a shit. Eventually, I got feeling better. I only tried a couple times to get into any moves. I’m not naive enough to think that I have any form to be doing that. A couple guys rode off the front most of the race, only to be caught with 10 to go.

That is about when Adam Leibovitz did a solo move, never to be seen again. He got out of sight pretty quickly and then a few of his Texas Roadhouse team mates got to the front and it was done. That is two in a row for him this weekend. Pretty great bike riding.

I was pretty worried about the field sprint. I wasn’t getting up the hill with any power the whole way. On the last lap, I got into pretty good position going down the hill and went over a speed bump at the bottom of the hill about 8 back. I knew to do well you have to get half way up the hill in good position. I did that, maybe getting close to the lead, but I ran out of juice about 100 meters from the final U-turn. I’d guess about 8 guys passed me, but slowed down for the corner. I kept pedaling and dove the inside, passing maybe 4 or 5. But, I was done. There was a crash in the last U-turn, a few guys behind me, so I knew that I couldn’t lose too many places. I struggled to the line, two riders going by and finished 8th in the sprint, 9th for the day.

That wasn’t what I was looking for, but it was all I could do. It is a good race to get some form. 40 times up a moderately hard hill is just what the doctor ordered. I really can’t complain about how I’m riding. It isn’t anything special, but it could be a whole lot worse.

Today is the Quad Cities Criterium in Rock Island. It is a 8 corner, tight criterium that is pretty sketchy in the rain. I’ve raced it once when it was wet out and you really need to stay in the front to be out of trouble. It isn’t easy.

It has been great staying with Jeff Bradley. No diet here. Pancakes and eggs every morning and steak and rice every night. It isn’t the time to lose weight racing. The race here is sometimes late, so it is going to be a long night, not getting on the road until after 6 or 7pm. It’s 450 miles back to Topeka, so it ain’t going to be early. Okay, maybe the rain will ease up some so I can go out and ride this morning before the race. That would be a nice way to start out Memorial Day.

Results from Melon City, Muscatine Criterium 1/2 race. Click to enlarge.

Guess riding rollers behind you car is the best way to warm up nowadays before a rainy criterium.

Catherine on the left leading the women’s field.

Breakfast yesterday morning.

And dinner.

Bromont making himself at home at Jeff’s house. He gets pretty tired watching bike races. He’s been to over 500 I’d guess.

Turns out my seat was broken. I’m still way tender down there.

This is in Burlington Iowa, overlooking the Mississippi River. Only appropriate since it’s Memorial Day.