The average car is wider than two, three, or even four cyclist side by side bud. Also there are times when overtaking is unsafe and its important for us to "Take the lane" to ensure the safety of us as well as drivers. As long mutual courtesy is shown between drivers and cars we all get along just fine in the end.

Thanks Jack! Love to see the level of team work and organization on bell lap, our team wanted to be there but it just didn't happen. Its one thing to make a plan, its another to actually execute it.

Thanks! Onward and Upward hopefully.

Yeah agreed, hope your teammate that high sided was ok.

Thanks Loree! You hit the nail on the head, I came away with a bunch more confidence and a bunch of good moments to learn from. Looking forward to seeing you at the next one. Might be a minute as now we have a bit of a break so far as crit races go.

Woof I hadn't looked at the P12 race. 28.8 in the break sounds deadly though. I just ain't built for that type of sustained effort yet. 😂

My knees are quivering just thinking about that. I did run a 34-28 up until a year and a half ago or so. Have been running 36 front and 34 back for the past 6 months and am loving it.

It seems your a Bay Area resident. I’ve been to mount tam one of the trails led all the way to a hut where a lot of people gather. I probably explained it weirdly but mount tam is 🔥

Oh wow that is awesome Juan. I actually bought my first road bike in 2009, was a different era back then I suppose. The trails are so extensive in that area, I have only been on a handful of rides with my Gravel Bike back there but am sure I could get lost for years playing around in that area off road.

Same! Only thing to watch out for is that fact that it has it's own micro climate. Nothing like getting rained on in the presidio when it is sunny and warm in the city. lol

Possibly yes! If I’m not mistaken for Motocross they gave the option to buy the tracker outright and own it, or you could rent one day of for a small fee. This allowed for new riders to get one for a small price and the more committed riders to front load the cost but never have to pay again. Unless of course you lose your chip, then you have to get a new one and have it programmed to your profile. This took a bunch of pressure off of the in-person scoring team and also helped to negate errors as it served as a second pair of “eyes” for the team putting on the race.

Thanks Lokesh! I’ve got a few more ideas cued up for this year. 🫡

Good stuff. I think that the number for all season a bit tricky but doable.

@@orlandolobo Yeah, there are a number of ways to go about it, and at lower classes especially it will be a bit tough to implement. One could argue that this should only start at cat 3 or above for example. But at the end of the day its about giving racers more reasons to come out and compete, as well as make the event better for spectators.

Hey Wayne, I’m using a go pro hero 10. Have it mounted under my bike computer. Works great for races, just need to get a rear cam now if I want to get all the action happening around me.

Happy to drop a link the recipe if you want to give it a go! The Belgian Pearl Sugar makes all the difference. 🇧🇪

Right!?! Even my other bikes, which are fit reasonably well to me, feel a bit funny after getting the Allez dialed in with Allen!

I did the performance bike fit with Allen which is $310 (as of writing this at least) This gets you three hours with him to work through anything that may be an issue. That said, they do support our team so I payed just a bit less than retail for his time and expertise.

Oh man, this is tough to answer in a concise way but I'll try. Essentially a bunch of factors came together for me to pull the trigger on this. Importantly, I was not looking actively to get a new bike when this came my way. 1. I was able to get just the frame 2nd hand for cheap, and ultimately build it up myself. (This was my first frame up build of a bike) 2. Racing crits is my main disciple so it needs to be durable (hence the alu frame material) 3. I hadn't owned a spesh yet and was curious to see how it felt compared to my other two bikes 4. I'd be lying if I didn't say that sexy paint job wasn't also a factor 😍 I've considered putting together a little something discussing how I feel about the Allez vs. my two other bikes for a while now... maybe its time.

For Crits, that's one of the best bikes. If you happen to crash your bike, (I hope not) the probability of the bike surviving is higher than the other one with a carbon material. Of course, if you have enough money in the bank to buy another $3,000 or $4,000 dollar frame, go ahead, it's your money. For the average cyclist (99.9%) without sponsors and for the love of the sport, it makes all the sense in the world.

⁠@@Chimy1423yep! Always try to keep the rubber side down. Doesn’t always happen but that’s part of the sport. I at least have peace of mind with insurance that covers pretty much anything that can happen to it.

@@Chimy1423 Lol best bike as in how? its a heavy slug aluminum gravel bike. I bought a carbon frame rim brake from a well known OEM from China. Paid $600 including shipping and any color I want. My whole bike weighs 14.5lbs. I paid $1400 in total. Rim for road disc for dirt.

But the 80's had so much good music and iconic fashion trends! FWIW I got it cut today so now it is Business in the front, and party in the back. :p

Thanks Jason, I appreciate the encouragement. I'm doing my offseason work now and will try to come back with the right level of fitness and mindset to be "in the mix" next season. Supporting my teammates along the way of course, and taking my shot to stand on the box when possible.

Haha, Thanks! I also experienced a malfunction in my lungs, and my heart, and my legs. 🥲

@@InThePaceline 🥵😅🤣

Thanks Kess! I agree with you on that save. Really great bike handling skills on his part. If you want any tips on how to get power overlays let me know. There are easy workflows and hard ones. Would be awesome to have for some the epic climbs you do.

@@InThePacelineI’ll totally let you know! Maybe I’ll finally get a GoPro this year for Christmas. My roommate works for them and has always offered to hook me up but I’ve always been intimidated. Thanks for the motivation!! Happy riding 💪

Thanks so much pistolpete! I hear the scene in FL is really great for cyclists actually! We now have what is called the “early bird” series it take place south of SF and is the defco “learn the ropes” series for the Bay Area. Never raced in the UK but the videos always look super fast. Hope you are able to enjoy the weather and get out on the road!

Thanks JC, it was good seeing you out there! Glad you enjoyed it.

I clear out my Garmin every year so I likely don't have the fit file for this, but I do have the Strava activity handy which could shed some light on thing from a power perspective. www.strava.com/activities/7521773298/overview

Thanks! Hope to have more of him on in the future and others in the racing scene as well!

Thanks Jon! Could not agree more. Last year was my first time doing this race and I think it will be one I look forward to every year now.

Great riding with you Max! Hope to see you out on the road or at the races soon. I have feeling this will not be the last time I am saying “so I’m a bit worried about Terun at this point.” 😅

Also called CAT 4. 👍🏼

Thanks Jacob! I love this course as I get to leverage the skills from my past life racing downhill mountain bikes / moto. 🫡 Hopefully I can put together a few more solid results and cat up.

Yo! Dude you were and absolute unit pulling us along on the straights! I’m pretty sure it was the speed you laid down lap after lap on the finish straight that reduced the lead group late in the race. Hope to see you out there again soon. When is your next race?

Thanks EJ! Great racing with you as well! Hope to see you out at a few more this year. Now that I know about your monster sprint I’ll be ready next time.😜

Thanks Massimo! First time in years that I really “flipped the switch” and went back into all out mind set. Let’s stack the podium soon. 🫡

Good to know I am not alone here. I kind of wish they would employ the flag system used in motocross to signal race info. They have things like yellow flags for cations, white flag for last lap, red flag to stop the race, etc.

Yo! Thanks Lars! Certainly hope to do some more next year and even have a few more ambitious video things in the works for off season. 😅

Nice! I ride the Embarcadero quite regularly to get up to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Thanks! Did what I could. Unfortunately I did not have any teammates waiting in the wings. It would have been a perfect scenario to have a 3rd rider sitting in the wheels to attack when / if the break was caught. In the end I placed my bets on them staying away as I am familiar with both of them and knew they were strong in the field we had. Never did find out why their pace slowed up, what I do know is both of them had 2/3 races in their legs prior to this one so neither were "fresh."

Yepppp I was regretting now swapping out to my shallower wheels for this one. Not the type of big disk energy I was looking for...

Thanks JC, it was great racing with you again. Even got to use you as an example for when a good line becomes a bad line! Bummed you got a bit caught up in the crash but also happy to see that you did not go down.

Yeah, I never did ask him about that. On one hand, you don't want to chase your teammates. One the other if you can stack two in the break without bringing everyone with you that could be big for keeping it away. I was considering going when Kai went, when Daniel went I knew it was no longer a choice.

Thanks! You nailed it on the false flat, I think the go pro "flattens" it out a bit but it was a small riser for sure. Fighting the wind heading into it, and then getting hit with a 35mph cross wind just before it went "up" made things even more gritty and hard both mentally and physically. I'll see what I can do to put together a few Z2 rides and workouts that are fun and entertaining.

The wind and wet were huge factors, I went 2.3mph faster last year with 15% less avg watts and off season fitness

@@InThePaceline Thx main. I’ll be back uploading soon as well. Please check out the channel. 🤙🏾

@@BobIppolito Yeah, wet roads + wind will do that for sure. 🤙🏾

Hey Donald! Oh that is very tempting indeed... i'll have to go get my cracked gravel frame fixed in the next few weeks it seems. Also congrats on what looks like a very "dense" race season and mixing it up with the top dogs in Nor Cal.

Thanks for the kind words! Was that you in the SJBC kit? I was a nuisance for sure at that point and numbers were stacked against Daniel and I. Essentially it is 2 vs 25 to keep them away, If Aymen and Kai didn't already have 3 or more races in their legs from the Triple crown I wonder if they might have had the juice to stay away to the finish.

@@InThePaceline yeah that's me. was also hoping I'd get a few guys to jump across on my early attack and get a break going - but wasn't going to commit very much to staying away solo when no one came 🥲

Yeah I tend to agree with splitting the fields, if nothing else just to let more people race being that it was full and had a waitlist. Laps where about 1:45 on average according to my computer which is certainly not the shortest course we have been on. Planning on racing and doing commentary on Oakland as well. Maybe even a little “learnings from my first full season of racing” video now that I have one under my belt.

yep that was option 2. Maybe things would have worked out different for us if I had sat in the wheels.