Taken while covering a concert for the Echo.
Doghead.
Joking with the ref.
Photo: Matt Appleby
Is the iPad just a big iPhone?
Photos from the Rutgers meet are up.
We woke up at 5:30am again to get ready for Sunday’s event: the circuit race. We drove there and rode the course once. It was a 3 mile loop around some of the Rutgers campus. There weren’t any steep hills, but there was a long gradual incline at the back end of the course right before the downhill straightaway into the start/finish area.
I was, again, the first to race, so I headed over to the starting line early to get in position. The other competitors were a lot more laid back this time, I suspect either because this was the last race of the weekend and they had gotten used to it, or that it was such a long race that it wasn’t necessary to get super pumped up beforehand.
The whistle blew and we took off. I made sure to stay with the peloton so that I wouldn’t get dropped behind. The peloton is a quirky thing. On one hand, it is the source from which you derive all of your power, but it is also the biggest thing holding you back from winning. If you bite the hand that feeds you by trying to break away from the peloton, more often than not you will tire out and the peloton will eat you up.
My teammates, Dan and Cosme.
I managed to hang with the peloton until the last 3 laps, when my deficit of winter training was really hitting me hard and I fell back. I got behind the wheel of a West Point cyclist and we tried catching up to the pack for two laps. On the last part of the last lap, we eventually caught up to another pack that had broken off from the back of the peloton and joined them. Since most of these people had been pulling (instead of drafting) for the last few laps, I knew I could break away from them at the last minute. I waited until we were about .75 miles from the finish line to launch my attack. As a more senior cyclist than I would put it, I “put it in my big ring and stood on it.”
Our pack sprinted to the finish line, and I managed to beat the West Point cyclist that I had been following for the last 3 laps. I was content with my performance, and I now I know what kind of training I need to put in to keep up with the top of the D pack.
In response to Luckyshirt’s post.
I understand what you’re saying. When people use technology in a way other than we’re not used to, it seems inefficient. This is exactly how computer scientists felt when people started using the internet for social reasons. (What?)
Your friends seem like the type who prefer to keep their desks clean and free from clutter. A lot of the time it’s easier to think without a pile of papers or 12 iPhone apps staring you in the face. You get more done.
Sometimes the white space (or black, in this instance) is just as important as the app next to it.
We woke up at 5:30 this morning so that we could get to the time trial with enough time to register and warm up. It was windy and cold, which made warm up hard. Mens D, my category, was one of the first to go, so I was the first Colby racer up. They called my cat to the starting line and started launching us 20 seconds apart. I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be.
Twenty seconds into the race I immediately felt that I hadn’t warmed up enough. I started to lag and breathe heavily. About two thirds into the three mile race, the guy who had started 20 seconds after me was right on my tail. He started to pass me but I wasn’t going to have any of that. Not in my first race ever. At this point it was just like swimming. The guy in the lane next to me is trying to take my spot, so what do I do? Swim harder.
My teammates also had good races. By the end of time trials, it was finally getting warmer. We packed up and headed for the criterium.
The criterium course was about a mile and looped around the Rutgers field house. I took a spin around the course before they started the races. It was fairly square, and about two lanes wide all around. The two poorly paved corners were also the two fastest corners, so I made a mental note not to bomb those.
I was again one of the first races, and this time it was a group start. I made friends with a guy from Tufts while waiting. It was his first race too.
My strategy was to stay near the leader of the second pack. Unfortunately, this second pack never formed, leaving a medium sized pack in front and a bunch of strung out guys behind them. It didn’t help that a lot of these people didn’t have racing experience so they didn’t know how to form little packs in order to catch up to the big pack. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the race.
Tomorrow is the circuit race (30 mins on a 3 mile circuit). It’s at 8:30 which I’m not excited about, but now that I know what’s coming, I think I’ll have a lot more fun.
Colby Echo Video is tweeted by @colbycollege -
We’re gaining notoriety!
Load up.
Weather Underground forecasts a balmy 50 degrees for both days of the Rutgers Froze-Toed Season Opener, Colby Cycling’s first race of the road season and my first road race ever. I’ve prepped my bike with lube and new brake pads, and I’ve double-checked my cycling bag about a thousand times.
I’m really excited about this weekend, and I’ll keep you updated with pictures and info via Magicarp.