[NCNCA] 2008 Early Bird Observations

[Larry Nolan]

The 2008 race season is well underway with a hill climb, a road race and the five early bird training criteriums all on the books.  As I was able to attend all five Early Birds and ride with every group of riders I’d like to offer these observations:
 
-         Overall we’re calling this series a success for 2008.  It’s true that the cold, wind and some rain kept the rider turnout down, but at the same time the number of crashes was also reduced.  For that alone, the organizers and volunteer mentors sleep better at night.
-         Skills of the riders improved every week!  One hour each week is not enough time to transform a rider to a racer, but the progression in the five week series was noticeable.  Relax, ride predictably, keep your perspective, don’t get caught in slinky action, and race with a purpose, among others.
-         Crit racing is not for everyone and the Early Birds course, with only 3 corners in 2209 meters is not your typical course.  We appreciate riders getting out there and learning to relax, to get slightly uncomfortable and to keep their perspective while they are racing.
-         Although the turnout was low, we appreciated the teams that came out for the “meet the team’s day” because this is a team sport.  And because it is a team sport, we like to encourage every rider to define what they want to get out of this sport.  
-         Racing wise, I’ll summarize some of my observations:
     o  Cat 4’s- many 4’s might be surprised that they are racing as fast as the Cat 5 and Cat 3 fields (at times).  For January racing they are hauling butt at a relatively high speed (22-26mph avg.).  What seems to be missing is the team cohesion, the interval work that helps to make an attack stick and the riding at the front with a purpose.  In the later weeks the 4’s let down their guard and showed up to some of the post race discussions.  Believe you me when I say that the balance between confidence and humbleness is difficult for most cyclists.  The ones that get closer to this balance are the ones that upgrade.  Not a single crash to report!  Plus a very impressive race last Sunday when 61 riders took to the line in search of high placing and upgrade points in the one “real” race.  When the rain fell I thought for certain that a crash was forthcoming, but on the last lap two teams took the speed so high that everyone finished safely.  That was teamwork!
     o  Women- a larger disparity in cycling abilities was apparent with the new racers, so most of the weeks saw the women fields split up.  Generally speaking I find the women that attend the sessions to be humble and willing to learn.  I had the pleasure of watching a group of 10 women learn, and improve their echelon riding into a nice cross wind last weekend.  Perfect coordination may not happen in a real race, but that was a very rewarding experience for me.
     o  New 5’s- overall we are still amazed at how many new racers show up to these training clinics and races.  It’s a great sign to see that the younger (U35) racers outnumbered the masters this year.  That bodes well for our sport.  The speeds of the two Cat 5 races were also in the low to mid 20’s (mph) but again, attacks are nullified by riders sitting at the front that chase everything.  We were also pleased with a good number of accidental wheel touches that went without incident.  The new riders that attended all five weeks showed great progress in their skills and we wish them luck as they continue their racing.
     o  Lastly, each day was finished off with the Pro/1/2/3 race.  I’m including my observations as it brings perspective to the whole event.  As with all the races, especially at this time of the year, rider fitness, motivation and willingness run the full spectrum.  The riders that mentor throughout the day are rewarded for their volunteering with free entry into the race (something for riders to consider as they move up through the ranks and gain experience) but that also makes for a long day in the saddle.  Most are just looking for a good draft!  When the afternoon winds kick up it’s not always pretty.  Then Joel Robertson, who is on fire, animated each of the five weeks racing and put the hurt on riders.  Just to reiterate my point about speeds in events, racing with the 1/2/3’s at the EB’s is not always faster (on average) than the other categories.  What makes the difference is the speed of the attacks.  You’ll be rolling along in the pack at 25mph when all of a sudden 5 riders have a 200 meter lead.  How did they do that?  Well, it’s a combination of January motivation, the speed and timing of the attack (via intervals and natural ability) and if riders are not paying attention to threatening attacks (which are less likely to happen in bigger prize and less social races).
 
We hope you enjoyed the 5-week series.  We hope you continue to push for your goals and we hope that you do your part to help grow our sport.
 
Larry Nolan, Team Specialized Racing, co-lead of the Early Birds