Nor Cal Crit Racing with a side of Local Rides Currently riding for Dolce Vita out of San Francisco.
I have been on two wheels most my life, growing up I raced motocross, and downhill mountain biking. Now I can be found mostly on the road and competing in the crit and road racing scene in northern California.
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.
Hey Chris, sucks that you caught a flat on the last lap, but in hindsight, it might have saved you from the crash. On the flip side, even though you did not get the result you wanted, the goals you set for the race were met, which is a good thing. Also, being able to take away what you can do better for next time is good. This is a great race. I enjoyed it. My fitness was not there yet, but I enjoyed myself, and I will see you at the next race in July. There are no hilly road races for me.
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.
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.
I just to ride this route 4 times a week for training and all the way to tamales bay. 2007 I stop competitive as too much doping in cycling! After 18+ years of road cycling, now I have transitioned to MTB. I didn’t realized mount tam have so many trails. You should try the loop but go to Stinson beach and go over the mount and come tru boilnas road over the dam back to Fairfax.
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.
@@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.
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.
Good honest recap of the race. Typically, there is a ton of fitness on display in the 3s. The pace can be brutal. Hang in there and you'll learn the characteristics of the race and the racers.. I'm sure you'll be rolling "comfortably" near the front before you know it.
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.
Dude the bike handling skills of that guy to not go down after getting his front wheel clipped. Amazing. And so cool to see someone gave you a wheel!! Super fun to watch, buddy. And totally professional video layout. I wish I could film climbs/descents with a GoPro but I have no idea how people lay their data over it like this. Lol
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 💪
Great video and commentary. We used to live in SF and then Benicia. I remember, every year, going to Fremont Freewheelers training event at the start of the season. Not sure if they are doing that anymore? We just returned to FL after living in Germany/Spain for 7 years. I raced with The Olympic Club. In the EU their 4/5 equivalent were probably a 3 in the US. Those guys were good, fast and they didn't make abrupt line changes. If I finished in the upper third, that was a victory for me! I just subscribed, it's always nice to see the Bay Area again.
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!
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
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.” 😅
Love your lines through the double-apexes, not too tight on the first and coming through the second with speed and a great angle. Nice race, good luck this season.
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.😜
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.
Good job blocking. Did you have any other functional teammates to help block? An option would have been to ride wheels (be passive) after while then counter with under 2 laps to go when they were caught. By being more passive, you could have had more energy. Takes energy to block. Ever find out why the breakaway seemed to fall apart (slow down)?
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."
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.
Congrats on 4th. Inclement weather Always make a race unique. Also, was there a slight false-flat within the course to add to the head + cross winds? If so, that makes for more difficulty and higher avg. power numbers. All in all Great Job out there and thanks for sharing. Regarding what to share during of-season, is say those ‘Z2 Rides + Workouts’. 🤙🏾
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.
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.
Haha I remember being so annoyed when I flicked at 9:45 and you rolled through. I'm like "DV ISN'T CHASING! COME ON GUYS!" 😆Nice race, great breakdown.
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 🥲
75 total riders in this race way too big of a field for such a short crit race course in my eyes. Cat 4 and 5 should've had there own race. But thanks for the great upload. Hopefully you upload for the Oakland crit and best of luck for that race.
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.
I think to play the teammate card, we can be at 2nd or 3rd wheel, instead of going to the front and slow down. That way, we can save some legs not having to surge towards the front of the pack, and can also force the top 2-3 folks to work while we sit in, and make it a little harder for the few guys behind us to go past and help at the front. Also leave some energy for bunch sprint / counter attack if the breakaway is caught.