Cat 6 Competition - July 6, 2009

Most cycling enthusiasts are familiar with the levels of competitive cycling.  Those being Professional, Category 1 (Cat 1 or elite), Cat 2 (sub elite), Cat 3, Cat 4 and then Cat 5.  Many aren't familiar with the no-holds barred, unregulated underworld of Cat 6 cycling competition.  It's a brutal, ruthless, cut-throat collection of villains and suburban legends.

I decided to give it a whirl and enter into one of the Cat 6 criteriums on a tight but closed course.  It was a little nerve wracking and I knew I didn't have superior pure cycling fitness but with all the endurance training under my belt over the years, how bad could I do?  I was about to find out.  I was surrounded by family members and they not only were supportive but seemed to be egging me on.  They obviously know I'm a competitive lad and I am often up for challenges of all types.

If you think these people are playing around and take this sport casually, you are wrong.  I knew I was going to be in for fight when the other competitors showed up wearing face paint.  This was no ordinary face paint, this was classic Braveheart warpaint. 

I had very little time to familiarize myself with the closed course.  It was a series of four right turns, with some elevation grades and changes as well as some slick conditions.  I felt there was going to be a risk of having the rubber come out from under me not only on the tight corners but on some of the quick grade changes on the straightaways.

I was also on a borrowed bike.  I don't want to make excuses ahead of the fact but I really preferred to have something that felt like it fit me a bit better.  I like an extended stem, ergonomically designed carbon drops and I have a fancy for Shimano Dura-Ace for smooth shifting.  So if I sound a bit gear snotty, well, I am.  Sure there are plenty of people that say it's not the bike but the engine but those people are stupid and if you don't believe me than you are a liar and need to get a life right now.

As I lined up, I felt my heart racing.  I'm not sure what my heart rate was because I didn't have my heart rate monitor.  But a criterium of this nature is not about controlling heart rate.  It was only a few loops around and is a race of power and a race of truth.  Once it's "go-time" it's "go-time" and you just pedal as hard as you could, try to hang on and then try to push at the end to see where you cross on the line relative to your peers.

As I looked around at the start, I could tell my competition was pretty confident.  They had that arrogance of knowing the course, riding familiar equipment and the killer instinct was showing through.  They were there for one reason and it wasn't to help somebody score enough points to consider moving into the Cat-5 legit world of cycling.

After a few laps, I was feeling the flow and was excited that I was still in the race.  I started to move back in the field and although I eventually was out of the draft of the peleton I really felt alive.  I was doing this for myself.  Not for my parents, my friends, my wife, my co-workers, I was giving it 100% for me and feeling like a million bucks for trying my hardest.  Sometimes it's not about winning, it really is about participating and with all the fans cheering and going crazy I finally got just a taste of what Lance Armstrong must feel like when climbing Alpe D'Huez.  Life is glorious.

 

As you could see above, I took the turn around the hot tub a little wide and really was out of the draft.  But I had great form and was fighting through like a champ.  The crowd in this section was particularly boisterous.  I think they loved my fighting spirit.  Everybody loves an underdog and a hero that they could relate to.  I could just sense everybody wanting to be me, even for just a single moment in life and that felt really cool for once.

Some people immediately came up after the race because they wanted a snapshot of me and my equipment and I offered the crowd an ample question and answer period.  I ran a traditional diamond frame although went with steel rather than carbon as I wanted some extra strength in case things got nasty out there.  I ran a black slick on the back wheel and a knobby on the front but in hindsight should have had my crew reverse those for better traction and handling.  Again, it was my own fault that I didn't check out the course enough ahead of time and this is a rookie mistake but that's what you get when you invite a competitive endurance triathlete to a cage fight. 

I also went with a fixed gear because anybody that needs gears in a criterium like this has no power and should be ashamed of themselves.  The chain fender was a safety procaution that was a requirement per rule 14b paragraph 2.  I was willing to risk riding without the fender to drop the weight of the bike but the rules committee informed me that it was an infraction and it also had event insurance implications (it would have made the race insurance policy null and void).  Sometimes you have to think about the greater good in sport and realize it's not always just about you.  So I sucked it up to stay groovy with the Cat 6 insurance commissioner and thus raced with a really heavy bike because of the chain fender.  I'm pretty sure I would have raced faster without it because I don't even think it made me more aerodynamic.  I'll be in the wind tunnel soon and will find the drag coefficient to prove my point.  Stay tuned later for that update in case you are interested.  But I'm sure the results of the wind tunnel testing will make most of the triathlon forums anyway.

I also chose hot pink for bike color because...well...if you have to ask why then you must have eaten a garbage sandwich for lunch and need to grow a new brain. 

Obviously you aren't allowed aerobars in criterium racing so the bike was equipped properly on the front end.  I was fortunate to try out the new Specialized carbon soled sandal racing shoes that are surely going to be hot, hot, hot in the cycling world.  These things were comfortable, stiff and had fantastic airflow just as the factory rep described.  I gave them two thumbs up.  Thank you Specialized.

Finally I'd like to thank all of my sponsors and supporters; Lulu's Nail Shack, Warsaw Polish Kielbasa (The Original Kielbasa), and Girl Scout Troop 454.  You guys rock and I love you all.  Thank you for helping me fulfill my dreams.  I couldn't have done it without you.

By the numbers;

• 183.2 - today's weight (January 1, 2009 weight was 184.2)  Goal weight for 10/25/09 is 165
• 112 - Days until the Marine Corp Marathon
• 173 - Total days trained in 2009
• 26 - Missed days of running in 2009
• 6.00 - miles run today
• 11.00 - miles on current pair of shoes
• 966.25 - Miles run in 2009

Comments

[Bill S.]

I just pissed myself.

[Wes]

LOL... you didn't flat that thing in the grass? :-O