Brisbane circuit race

Up the hill......Down the hill......repeat for 75 min.....This was a fun one. I decided right off that I would practice being mr conservative for at least the first 30 min, since this is something I need to practice. Especially after waltzing into yesterdays Wards Ferry road, dropping my chain, getting dropped, time trialing a constant distance behind the group for the last half of the race, and then finishing by myself in 8th place feeling like a total poser. That's what I get for plastering my stupid ego onto every available sponsor position of my jersey and leading out the first 20 miles attacking at random while still responding to every attack from every effing rider.
compared to yesterday this race was chill. I kicked back, enjoyed the view watching everyone else attack and then get smacked in the face by the wind...shut down! I just analyzed and sat on my pillow whisked up the hill like and angel blown by the breath of a mythical Greek god. Then with about 25 min to go I was following a move. I was only wanting to get to the front but when the wheels in front of me suddenly stopped, I was left with no choice but to launch an attack. It was to perfect of an opportunity to pass up so I pinned it ripping a trench through the headwind and opening up a huge gap over the top. Meanwhile the field was strung out single file throwing daggers at each other trying to determine the pecking order in the draft train. While they were dulling their knives I was motoring a hard but steady tempo burning up the descent opening up my lead with no one to obstruct my line. The next turn up the hill I was all alone cruising @ threshold. Near the top i could see a small group break off from the peloton and I was hoping they would join me without towing the rest of the field, but by my third solo run up the hill the small group caught me and promptly put on the brakes...I attacked again and chris phipps went with me, but a couple of cal giant guys were glued to our wheels. I threw down one more time but all of our stop and go had given the field plenty of time to catch on and it was back to an 80ish rider field. At this point I decided to sit in for a few laps...then another break went up the road and after a few laps Chris Turner took to chasing. He drove the field for a lap, then slingshoted me up the hill again chasing the group of three by myself...............It was in vein, I didn't make it but my efforts helped close the gap and I settled in, holding my position in the front for the last lap, (I actually paid attention to the lap cards for the first time)













I'm not super experienced at finishes so I was kinda tentative heading into the final meters mostly just following wheels, kinda boxed in...not sure when to sprint...Then when I realized how close the finish was it was too late, I put my head down and rocketed past a bunch of guys but ran out of ground while I was still accelerating...I managed the lowest place on the podium...5th...I learned a lot and its great to get one for the team but I feel like I definitely let this one slip through my fingers...and these opportunites don't come often....Overall it was a great race, and the first time the whole team was together....check the team website for more details. adios for now. acracer.blogspot.com

Wards Ferry RR

This one was tough....Up, down, Up ,down, attack, chase, attack, chase, bump, pot hole, shit my water bottle, hill, bump, crash, attack, chase, narrow fast rough descent, hairpin, guys into the fence, dudes off the back, waterbottles flying, scattered, hill, me pulling, stupid, attack, chase, atack, bump, hole, rock, there goes a small group, I don't want to chase again. bump, attack, chase, just dangling up the road, thud, just three of us chasing now, oh just popped one, bang, ouch, climb, lost my chain, down to just one. Ian leaves me in the dust, I am dusted. chasing the pack, just in sight, Now I'm chasing Ian, whack, bump, deadly descent, repeat as Individual time trial for the next 25 miles, finish in 8th. Only 12 finished out of 30ish. Ouch.

movin on up

The following request to change your USCF category has been approved and processed by USA Cycling:
bacon - 2009-03-20 8:11
Member: Kris Lunning
License: Road Racer
Request to change category from Cat 2 to Cat 1

Madera Stage Race

Stage 1..Ben Hur hill climb....32.25, my 19th place finish was a whopping 3;37 off the pace of Ben jacues-Maynes...I guess that's why he was top 15 at the tour of California. The Parlee TT bike chad is letting me use for the year was amazing...a 16lb tt bike with disc wheel....Iit feels like a climbing machine, stiff, responsive, aggressive, and full of energy. only wish my legs did it justice....

Stage 2. a flat 10.3 mile tt.....it was another ride on the parlee and I felt better but still missing the power I usually feel in a tt. we calculated how fast I would have to ride in order to beat last years best time.....27.3 mph, and I beat that at 27.6mph, but with Ben's horse power, a new course record was set and I was left in the dust. 22nd place.

The afternoon crit was a blast....i think I might have attacked a bit to much, launching off the front to debut of the Above Category black and white. I proved my physical strength with the vengeful elegance of a Hyena feasting on the stolen prey of a pride of lions. However my racing IQ needs a bit of work. We were riding for Chris Turner and for the most part we were doing a good job as he conserved for the finale. With 10min to go Turner flatted. I wish my parents taught me to read, cause I still cant figure out what the lap cards say. it is the 2nd crit this year that I crossed the finish line thinking "shit, that was the last lap...." I never heard a bell, or saw the lap cards. This race was a lot of fun, but I raced like with my legs and left my head at home...I'm glad that at least my legs are feeling strong.

Sunday mornings road race rolled out of balmy 48*F barnyard full of cows, racers and a cloud embrocation. It warmed up quickly as we threw ourselves violently off the front of the peloton aiming to get away from the group... I through a bag of daggers at the peloton but came missed everyone eventualy setting Turner up as he walked right into the perfect escape group. They stayed about "2:30 up the road and the rest of us chilled.....Webcore eventually realed them in because their man in the break couldn't ride his bike and cartwheeled off the road. After the catch, it turned into a strung out war zone on roubaix style roads blasted by paleolithic crosswinds, terrorized by the strongmen ripping the cord of elastic and tearing the field apart. I was caught out a good distance behind with gaps opening up every 5th rider but managed to stay in the top 30. It settled through the feed zone and I survived the last lap to finish with the sprinters, but no kick left in my wasted legs.....top 20 overall....I'm content but not satisfied.. I want to be the one stretching the elastic....I want to severe it with my pegoretti.

Todays ride

3 hours.......with 30min temp 290-330, then 5x6 min @ 400-450......says the coach, mr Craig Upton, .......Yikes it was cold this morning, frost and ice on every windshield. Good thing Ian and I started it off with 4o min of climbing. The '1500 ascent to Pantol is a great way to get warmed up and sweaty while avoiding the cold damp air of the lowlands. Usually by the time we get to the top it has warmed significantly, but not today... By the time we finished blazing the brand new banked and burmed asphalt descent into stinson beach the warmth we had worked so hard for had evaporated. Extracted from our cores it flows like petrol through massive veins and arteries. Drowning electronic fuel injectors as they spew at increasing capacity to propel an oversize SUV burgeoning with children playing X-box fantasy games in the back seat to lunch @ McDonalds. As if that wasn't cold enough, whatever heat we could generate from riding tempo was lost along the frozen lagoon to bolinas....by the time we made it back to stinson to start our first interval we were thawing out, albeit slowly. I would love it if I only had to do two of these intervals, more than that and they just plain suck, especially after being sick, and loosing 5lbs in one week. Upton....I hate being your guinea pig, but you Efing never cease to make me faster. agh!!!!!!!!! 420....415....405......BONK!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......398 and horrendously sloppy to finish it off. Last time I nailed all of them at about 410watts...but the rath of sickness still lingers and I am weak....I pledge to the Holy chain ring gods and swear to the SRM demons that lurke on my digital display....I will do these @ 430watts............Mark my words....To be continued.......I'm wasted..

The sickness

Getting back on it after being on and off sick again since pine flat road race

pine flat

3rd place.....more to come...super small field...I launched a solo attack, not entirely on purpose with about 5 K to go...the last 1k being steep as all hell, i got caught out by two light weight toothpick bone heads that sand baged it in a field of 11 the entire62 mile day... I mean how do you sandbag it in a field of 11....work you fear mongers..show a little grit...who even cares about winning a pro field when only 11 no-ones show up. Actually the guy that got 2nd was on Rock Racing but he faked it all day.....wimp...chump. go home....I will crush you!