It is no secret that Snake Alley Criterium is one of my favorite races of the year. Of all time. It takes a lot of power, plus it takes skill. Yesterday I think I had a lot of skill, but not much power.

The course is only .8 miles, with one steep, brick climb and then a 3 corner technical-ish descent. It wasn’t very windy, just enough, and it was a little warm, lower 80’s I’d guess. I rode 35 miles before the start. I thought, and I guess, I did do enough to properly go fast from the gun. But, I was a notch off. I’m not sure if it was because of stomach issues, or it was just what I had for the day, but I was missing just enough to not be competitive for the full distance.

I got a call-up, which is key. Of course the race started crazy fast, because that is the only way it can go. 100 meters, right corner and straight up a 45 second climb. I got into “the snake” about 5 riders back. Chad Hartley, Athlete Octane, was leading and drilled it up the hill the first lap. His team mate, Daniel Holloway, was 3rd and they must of had a plan because Holloway just sat up and nearly pulled his brakes. Chad Burdzilauskas, Texas Roadhouse, was ahead of Holloway and bridged up to Hartley on the climb. I got by Holloway about 1/2 way up and went over the top 5 bikes lengths back. I tucked and drilled the descent and made it up to the leading two by the bottom.

Nearly immediately Daniel Holloway came blowing by us. I got behind him and I think Chad B. got on too. Holloway pulled a whole lap and I came by on the climb. It was only the two of us then, with Chad getting dropped. I didn’t think it was such a good move, but Holloway was going so well on the flats and I knew he had a bunch of team mates at the front behind, I decided to just keep going. I heard we were 10 seconds clear, but soon the faster guys got to the front of the field and we were reabsorbed after 4 laps or so.

This is where it started going south for me. I got shuffled a little too far back. Once that happens in this race, it changes a ton. Instead of having momentum at the bottom of the snake, it turns into a speed loss. You do a stutter coast when you first hit the bricks and drop your speed a few miles per hour. This loss of speed has to be made up somewhere else on the course. Anyway, I had a bad 5 or 6 laps. I was just trying to survive as 8 guys rode off the front. Pretty much the whole Hincapie team, plus Holloway, Paul Martin, Cole House, pretty much all the contenders. I was descending pretty good, so I used the last two switchbacks up the climbs as a rest, opened a big gap over the top and then just tucked and bridged back up through the corners. I was hoping this was going to get me back up to speed.

And it did, sort of. With 4 laps to go I got back up to the front of the group that was riding for 9th. But, I couldn’t see anyone ahead of us, even heading up Snake Alley, so knew that was it. I sort of lost motivation, knowing the race was over. I kept at it though. I made a few mistakes the last couple laps. One, was not riding hard down the descent with two to go. Chad Hartley put in a good move on the descent and I should have just went with him. I was right there, but too worried about recovering to commit. Starting the last time up the climb, I got stuck behind a totally blown rider and 3 guys rolled off the front of our group. I just coasted down the hill and did a sprint with 5 or 6 guys. I ended up 18th, which was about what I deserved.

I was riding better than my result, but for some reason, am missing some power and some recovery. Maybe it is the stomach issue. Normally with stomach bugs, I lose all power. Not so with this. I was super dizzy at the finish. That isn’t normal for me. I feel okay this morning, not sore, stomach upset, or anything, so maybe the stomach deal is over.

Daniel Holloway went on to win, surprise. He was with a Hincapie kid, but he dropped his chain with two laps to go and had to run the hill. He got caught by a team mate and they finished 2nd and 3rd.

We’re doing the Melon City race this afternoon in Muscatine. Bill and I drove up to Davenport and are staying with Jeff Bradley. He cooked us some steaks last night. Tom Schuler is staying here too. He is promoting the memorial day race on Monday. It is just down the hill from Jeff’s.

Jeff said the race on Sunday might be as hard as Snake Alley. I hope to have some better legs by then. I’m looking forward to a hard race with good legs. Crossing my fingers.

Women going up the Snake. Lisa Vetterlein won the race.

Results.

Photo I got off Facebook.

Climbing.

I had a couple pieces of pie at the local sale. $1 a piece.

Jeff is a real meat guy. Bromont loves him.

Bill, Bromont and Tom Schuler last night.

Yesterday was sort of a strange race day for me. I went out with Jeff Bradley, Deb Wood and Bill and rode 30 miles in the morning. I felt pretty done. It was windy and I was flailing when riding against it. We rode over to the new course that they are holding the Quad Cities race on today and then I really started getting nervous. The course is crazy hard. .7 mile with a long steady climb and screaming descent. So, I realized I needed to try ride smart in Muscatine to save up for today.

Muscatine is a mile course, with a hill too, but not a very hard climb. There is a 130 degree corner about 100 meters from the finish, when is the key aspect of the course. I’ve done the race a lot of times. Sometimes a field sprint, but usually a medium size break. The race was animated early on. I had a 350 watt average on my Garmin after the first 30 minutes. So, the race sort of slowed midway and then towards the end, it seemed like the field was getting a little blown. It started splitting up more on the climb and through the corner. I started riding closer to the front, not really wanting to miss a big split. But, I did.

With maybe 10 laps to go, 8 guys rolled away. I had a opportunity to make the move, was flying up the gutter on the right side of the field on the climb, but a feeder stepped out onto the road and I had to grab my brakes. I don’t really understand why they were allowing feeding, it wasn’t that hot. And it seemed like it was too late in the race for feeding anyway. The Hincapie Team and Athlete Octane guys got to the front and really slowed it down. Now, after the race, I don’t have any idea about that tactic. I think they only had one rider each up the road. As it turned out, neither team finished a guy on the podium.

So, the break stayed off. We were jockeying for position the last couple laps. You really have to set up properly at the bottom of the hill to get a good result. I was good going down the hill, maybe 8 guys back, behind only Hincapie and Athlete Octane riders. I was planning on marking Daniel Holloway. He is the guy here and earlier in the race, won a prime from about 50 riders back with 1/4 lap to go. Anyway, it slowed a bit at the bottom of the hill and I decided to just go for it from there. I was on the inside and when I went by Holloway, he threw a pretty good elbow into me, a prickish move. I lost all my momentum and instantly was 15 riders back.

But, I kept at it, staying full throttle and towards the top of the hill, right where it levels out, started passing guys like they were standing still. I rode by maybe 5 riders pretty quick and then before the corner, passed Paul Martin and then dove the final corner and passed 3 more guys. I ended up 5th in the field sprint, 13th in the race.

Paul came up to me after the race and made some derogatory comment about my “move”. I reminded him that I’d seen him run into quite a few guys throughout the day. I asked him what the issue was of going through a corner, less than 100 meters from the finish, on the inside. I didn’t touch another rider. No one fell. I moved up 3 places. He said something like there is just an area of danger surrounding me. It’s his opinion, but I disagree. Riders have different abilities and different perceptions of what is dangerous and what isn’t. For me, the move was just finishing a criterium. I guess he would never make it, which is fine, but I don’t think he has anything to complain about. Paul and I got way back on this subject, so it is just a continuation of the same old.

Like I said above, the Hincapie and Athlete Octane teams pretty much decided the break and they both got shut out on the podium. I don’t understand it. Holloway or Chad Hartley both could have won the race from a field sprint. Seems like bad tactics to me, but that’s fine. There are plenty of bad tactics going on in bike racing nowadays.

After the race, Bill and I went for a short ride. We stopped at a yard sale and bought some Cokes from a kid. I got 2 for a dollar. I drank the first one, it was so cold, great. So I decided to have the 2nd. I think that was a mistake. About 15 minutes later, I got a crazy stomach ache. Like call 911 stomach ache. I was folded over with pain. I limped back to the car and just sat. I had some Tums in the medical bag and ate a handful. Driving back to Davenport, which is 45 minutes, it slowly subsided. But, man, did it leave me destroyed. Way worse than the race.

Today is going to be hard. A really short course, with a hard hill hitting you even minute or so. It is supposed to rain this afternoon. 70% chance. I glued on a new Vittoria CX on my rear last night. I’m worried that guys are going to get off the front early and lap the field. Eventually that is going to happen for sure. I’m not sure how many guys are going to finish today, but it is going to be ugly.

I woke up a little torqued today. Kind of just overall fatigued. I’m not so worried, I have 1/2 a day to get my shit together. I’m going to go out for a ride, nap then see. No use stressing about something that is just is. I’m looking forward to the race today. I like hard criteriums with hills. Should be fun.

The podium-Chris Winn 1st, Cole House 2nd, Tyler Coplea 3rd.

Results.

These guys were on the bike path at the bottom of the criterium hill.

Tom Schuler last night pretty much passed out. He’d been out setting up todays course since 4 am and it was 11 pm.

Jeff grilled up a ton of chicken last night.

Bromont waiting for breakfast. Someone comes around and put flags in front of every house in Jeff’s neighborhood. There is a permanent flag holder in each yard. Happy Memorial Day!