Perry's last ride

Word got out quickly after a flurry of emails, facebook postings and blog posts about cyclists leading the funeral procession for Perry on Friday morning. Thanks to John Frame for initiating what started out as a discussion with Taylor that lead to that flurry. Thanks to Nikki for pushing the emails out to the group.

As I arrived for the church services on friday morning, you can imagine the sadness I was feeling. Perry is as good a friend as I have had since my return to Greenville 5 years ago. We had shared a lot of miles together in a relatively short time. Those miles started last year when I committed to ride with the Challenge to conquer cancer crew. It was early August before I met Perry and our first meeting was not even on the bike - it was at a fundraiser called "Comedy vs Cancer" put together by Bo and Nikki at Saffron's Sidewalk Cafe. He and his wife Toya had come to support Bo and Nikki's fundraising efforts.

As Bo said in his excellent memorial to Perry, "He was not the most demonstrative of men, so it took some time to get to know him, on and off the bike". As we were at a show, we had only brief opportunities to chat. He struck me as a good guy and I looked forward to riding with him.

The very next day, Perry, Jeni, Ed and I met for what turned out to be the first of MANY rides together. We rode the 60 mile route from the Simpsonville YMCA. Although Bo's comment is correct about Perry not being demonstrative, it was obvious on that very first ride that he did indeed have a competitive streak. It was also obvious that he was a lot smarter than me when it came to cycling tactics.

I learned a lot riding with Perry. That first ride began the lessons. As we approached a hill, the pace would increase and we would all begin to push. In my mind, I was stronger than the others because I would find myself out in front as we pushed through the middle of the hill. However, as we approached the top of the hill, Perry would accelerate around me to capture the hill first. This proved his strength, as well as his cycling smarts. A deep respect grew very quickly within me for him as a rider.

As the miles accumulated on that and many other rides, he would continue to suck me into these little competitions, only to overtake me at the end. I like to think I'm a pretty smart guy, but it took me a while to figure out what was happening. In fact, at the Donaldson Tuesday night rides, he would tell me not to spend so much time out front - sit back and rest for a little while. My hardheadedness would usually get the better of me and I would forget his advice at the very next ride (where he would pull another 'Perry' and hold my wheel until the very last second where he would accelerate past).

Throughout the training rides leading up to the Ride to Austin, I began to know him off the bike. His sense of humor and sly wit, the love he has for his family and friends. His dedication to excellence in everything he did. The respect I had for him as a rider quickly grew into respect for him as a man. We became real friends.

Perry and I, along with Jeni and Ed rode so many miles together, that as our departure date neared, our P3C3 captain Ron ended up putting us together as the Polka Dot team. We were all really pleased.

The trip to Austin holds a very special place in my heart. Seldom does it happen that such a large group forms with such focus and develops such lasting friendships. We had that focus and I am very proud of what we accomplished - the fund raising and spreading the message. I am very glad to have been able to share this with my Polka Dot team mates. And, with Perry's passing, it means so much more that I was able to share that with him.

Earlier this year, Perry and I met for a short ride from the YMCA - ironic that one of our last (outdoor) rides together would depart from the same location as our first ride together. I remember how great it was to see him. We chatted a lot on that ride, but we also fell right into the rhythm that we developed over those many training miles. I could always count on him to be smooth and steady in his riding. Whether we rode handlebar to handlebar, or in a small pace line, I knew exactly what to expect from him. It felt really comfortable. I told him at the end of the ride how great it was to ride with him again. I had missed it. And yes, he did pull a couple of "Perrys" on me that day as well.

With the cold winter, many of our more recent 'rides' were inside with the indomitable Jeni coaching us through a trainer session. The last time I saw Perry was during and after one of these sessions - the Thursday night before he passed. I got the news on Monday when Jeni called. I was crushed.

In hard times, family and friends come together. This amazing group of friends who I also consider family immediately reached out to each other to provide support. Tuesday was the Missing Man Peleton followed by a celebration of Perry's life at Dustin and Jessica's place. The house was packed and there was a lot of hugging. There were tears, but the overall was a very positive reflection on the man we all knew and loved. We shared stories and remembrances. Taylor was there and he shared with us as well. The love in the room far outweighed the sorrow. It was a very fitting event for a man who was always a very positive and upbeat person.

Thursday was the visitation and the line of people who came to pay respects was out the door of the church for hours. The P3C3 family was there in support with several people coming from far away to pay their respects. After, a large group of cyclists gathered at Senior Salsa's Restaurant (next to Ride-On Bicycles where we would go for dinner after the trainer sessions). Again, the show of support was incredible. We took up an entire section of the restaurant. At the head of the table, we left a chair and a beer for Perry. It was very hard as I happened to be sitting next to that empty chair.

It was during this dinner that John Frame approached me about doing something special for the funeral procession. He suggested that we ride our bikes from the church to the gravesite. We spoke to Taylor and made a quick announcement and immediately had more than a half dozen riders.

When I arrived at the church for the service, there were already more than a dozen bikes lined up along the front and side of the church. As we lingered outside the church, the number of bikes continued to grow as did the number of attendees wearing cycling kit of some kind. Perhaps fittingly, the largest number of jerseys to be seen were the Challenge to Conquer cancer jerseys. The family had come to show their support and pay their respects.

The peleton was 30+ riders strong as we made our way to the gravesite. It was a fitting tribute to our friend, brother, husband, father, fellow cyclist. I felt like Perry was riding along - one last long pull before going off the front.

Perry's Funeral Procession - a request

Greetings,
If you are planning to attend Perry Lyles' funeral tomorrow morning at Crossroads Baptist Church (705 Anderson Ridge Road Greer, SC 29651-7639), please arrive at 1030am ready to ride.

What do I mean ready to ride? At a minimum, please wear a cycling jersey. Cyclists are asked to arrive at 1030 to be led into the Church and seated together. The service will begin at 11:00am

At the end of the church service, the cyclists will lead the procession out of the church and form two lines between which Perry will be carried to the hearse.

At this time, there is a contingent of riders (growing as the word spreads) that will be prepared to ride the 3.7 miles from the church to the cemetery.

When you arrive (hopefully slightly before 1030am), please stack your bike at the front (or along the side or wherever you can find space) of the church. After Perry moves through the lines of cyclists, we can break ranks and take a couple of minutes (seriously, we only have a short time here - 5 min or so) to get ready to ride. Please plan the way you will handle this - my personal plan is to have my bike shoes with my bike and only have to change shoes (ok, I will probably wear long pants over my cycling shorts during the service, allowing me to be ready to ride very quickly).

When you are ready, line up in front of the hearse. We'll wait for a few minutes to allow folks to get ready, but we need to leave before the hearse departs. I know the route and the Fire department will be blocking the intersections for the procession. Taylor Lyles will inform them that cyclists will be heading out in front of the procession.

As noted, the distance to the cemetery is 3.7 miles (thanks Nikki!) and we will take a pace that is very reasonable for all riders. Obviously we want the cyclists to stay together.

I am not positive of the exact location of Perry's gravesite, so we'll have to be a little flexible as we enter the cemetery. As we identify the location of his gravesite, we'll have to set our bikes out on the perimeter so everyone has opportunity to come in close during his final resting.

I do hope you can join us in honoring our good friend this way. Please let me know if you can participate.

thank you
jd

The Missing Man Formation

What is the "Missing Man Formation"? According to Wikipedia.com,: "The missing man formation is an aerial salute performed as part of a flyover of aircraft at a funeral or memorial event, typically in memory of a fallen pilot."

What does that have to do with me? Unfortunately, it has more to do with a very good friend of mine than it has to do with me. I received word last night that my Polka Dottay team-mate Perry passed away.

This was unbelievable news to me, because Perry was the picture of health. He was an incredibly fit individual. I would not believe that his body fat was more than 12%, and I knew how strong he was on the bike. I was in shock when my friend Jeni called me to tell me of his death.

Perry was an incredible individual. His strength on the bike was matched by the love he had for his family and friends. He always had a smile and kind words for everyone - regardless of whether he knew you or not. His death has left a huge hole in our peleton.

In honor of him, I asked my P3C3 friends to join me in honoring him on this first day of the 2010 riding season - the first Tuesday after the clocks change - also known as the first day of riding at the South Carolina Technology and Avation Center (SCTAC - formerly known as Donaldson Center).

I was not surprised by the turnout. Perry was known and loved by many in our small community. As I watched his friends gather, I was filled with awe. To be loved by so many people - it has to be the goal of everyone.

The goal tonight was to honor Perry in a way similar to the military tribute of the 'Missing Man'. We departed the parking lot about 30 strong. We rode in a double paceline formation with the front left position held open for Perry.


I'm not sure about anyone else, but I could certainly feel him riding alongside us. It was an incredibly emotional experience. Perhaps the most difficult 2(ish) miles I have ever ridden.

Perry, you are already missed my friend. May you rest in peace.
Perry Lyles - 1963 - 2010
RideStrong my friend!

Spinners REPRESENT! Day 6 of the Greenville Spring training series

Wow! What a great day of racing! The weather was nearly perfect (some wind late in the day) and the Greenville Spinners brought it to the table and kicked some serious butt!

I arrived at the final race of the spring series near the 2nd half of the Cat 4 race. There was three Spinners out there working the peleton - Tim, Clark and Robert. When I arrived, they were just coming through for their final lap.

What a sight when they came around for the sprint! Since I had been otherwise occupied in the morning, I wasn't sure who was out there, but what I saw when they came across the line was two Spinners' kit at the front! Clark and Robert brought it home for the top two podium spots! What a great job by those guys. Really great to see team-mates getting those podium positions.


The cat 4 race results from Day 6 of the Greenville Spring training series - Spinners Represent!
As for other races that the Spinners were involved in, the race in which I would normally be participating had just one of my Teammates representing - Ed (my Polka Dottay team-mate from the Austin Ride) rode to finish with the peleton.

Where was I? I was taking a chance that I would be able to stay in the Spring training series ominium top 10 without racing at Donaldson today. Instead, I represented the Spinners in an off-road triathlon.

These off-road tris are a little different from the traditional tri - the off road tri (of course) includes three events - a trail run, a flatwater paddle (kayak or canoe) and a mountain bike ride. I had signed up for this event weeks prior to signing up for the spring series, so I decided to get out there and have some fun. After all, there will be plenty of opportunity to get out and ride laps around Donaldson center this summer!

I loaded up my boat and my mountain bike saturday afternoon, so I was ready to leave bright and early sunday morning. I was about the 2nd person to arrive at the event site, and immediately met a first timer as she was off-loading her boat. She asked me a few questions, and we had a nice chat. She would be doing the 'sprint' event, while I would be doing the 'endurance' event. I outfitted myself in my Greenville Spinners Racing kit so I could represent the team.

What's the difference? The sprint event is a 3 mile trail run followed by a 2 mile paddle and a 7ish mile mountain bike ride. The endurance event is a 5 mile trail run, followed by a 4 mile paddle and a 12ish mile mountain bike. When I had checked earlier in the week, the field for the endurance event was only about 20 participants (women and men). When I asked about it during packet pick-up, they told me the field would be about 35 participants. A good number of peeps waited until the last minute to get signed up it seems.

The two events would start together and follow the same course for the first ~1.5 miles of the run (and the last mile), the early part of the paddle and parts of the mountain bike. This made it interesting as I was doing my event - At times, I wasn't sure who was doing the sprint and who was doing the endurance.

Another of my Spinners team-mates was also there at the off-road tri. Abhay came out with his rowing skull and his mountain bike to give it his shot.

The run started on an uphill, but thankfully, my buddy Pip suggested a warm up so I started off feeling good. By the time we crested the climb, a clear seperation had formed between the top 10 or so runners and me. My first mile was 7:24, which was a bit faster than I expected - especially with that hill. Pip was up in that front pack as they pulled away from me. I could hear some peeps behind me, but it was pretty spread out.

The run came through the transition area on it's way up to a trail called Grinder. You can imagine - this trail is aptly named. It is a long grinding uphill about a mile long. Not terribly steep, but you feel it - every step of it.

We came out on a paved road for a short distance before plunging back into the forest to run down the Clemson Freeride Club's downhill course. It's pretty fun to run down that course.

Before we arrived at the boat transition (about a 1/2 mile from the boats), the leader of the sprint race was already on his bike and heading out. Super strong effort from that guy (he did end up winning it).

I arrived at the transition with three other runners from the endurance race. The three of us ran together for most of the run. I got suited up with my camelback and my pfd and jumped in my boat.

I knew I had to make up some time on the boat - I would only be able to make up so much on the bike. As there were many peeps from the sprint event out on the boats for the first half of the race, It was difficult to tell who was who, although the speed differential was somewhat obvious.

The sprint boaters turned right at the 2nd bouy, but the endurance competitors kept straight to round a third bouy before turning back to the takeout. As I came around a point of land, I could see the endurance competitors spread out in front of me. I counted the boats and I found that I was in about 7th position (or 6th maybe). One of these peeps was the woman who was right behind me for most of the run. That put me in 5th or 6th place at the end of the boat.

I ran up to the bike transition and began to get myself squared away. The woman was staged just a few bikes away, and I saw her take off slightly before me. I got on my bike and gave chase. As far as I knew, no-one had escaped on the bike in front of me (from the endurance event - i.e. left the boat after me, but made a faster transition).

It took a few minutes, but I caught and passed the woman (who ended up winning first overall for the women in the endurance event) and kept chasing those in front of me. This first two miles was on a fire road and there was a good number of sprint event peeps out there. The only thing that made it obvious who was doing the endurance was their relative speed - we were traveling quite a bit faster than the sprint folks who were out there (because the fast guys / gals in the sprint event were already out on the singletrack part of the course).

I can't say for sure if I passed any of my endurance event competitors during this initial fire-road portion of the ride. I was tucked and in the big ring going about as hard as my legs and lungs would let me go. These fire road portions of the course had to be taken advantage of.

When I crossed into the singletrack and onto the Lawrence trail, I noted a rider behind me (to be called red shirt because of his red jersey). Anyone I saw on these trails was an endurance participant, so I knew I had to do what I could to overtake and prevent myself from being overtaken during these periods.

I learned a little about this guy on the climb up lawrence trail - I am a stronger climber than he is. I pulled a larger gap on him on this little climb coming out from the five forks intersection. He was a better mountain biker though as he reeled me in a little on the flatter portions of this trail.

There were periods where I was riding in the middle ring on the front and the smaller cogs on the rear. When I was in this configuration, I began to hear rattling from my rear hub! I was also having a bit of trouble shifting - thankfully, there was no ghost shifting, only imprecise shifting - I could live with that.

When we turned to go up collarbone, I could see two or three other guys in front of me. I was trying to count, but I was unsure of where I stood because of the confusion of the shared courses. These guys became my next targets and I dispatched two of them on this climb up collarbone. The third would fall (as in I would overtake him) as I rode down the dam road.

The Dam road was really fun. Once again, I was in the big ring and pushing for all I had. A big part of this fire road is downhill, so the speeds were probably over 30mph (maybe as much as 35mph). As I approached the intersection with the lake trail, I looked back to see two guys behind me - blue shirt who I passed on the dam road, and red shirt who had been following me since the lawrence trail.

Red shirt had passed blue shirt and began to gain on me quickly as we made our way along the lake trail. As he was getting close, I came upon a root system that stopped me in my tracks. I tried to quickly get out of his way, but was not able to. He had to stop, and because I felt I owed him, I told him to go ahead and pass me.

Luckily for me, his body chose that moment to cramp up on him. I waited for a moment, but when I realized he wasn't going to be able to pass, I continued on my way. I think blue shirt passed him at this point.

The rattling in my rear hub was getting worse - I can remember clearly thinking "ride it until it breaks!" The shifting was getting worse - It's critical to be able to cleanly shift into the proper gear when on a technical trail and I was fighting the imprecise shifting.

We were overtaking a number of the sprint competitors on this trail, and they were really great about moving off to the side to let us pass. since I was in the front of this little 3 bike train, I would call out "rider coming behind" and the would pick a safe spot to pull over for me (and the guys behind).

As we began to run out of lake trail, we came upon another root system that hung me up. Blue shirt was able to get by at this point, but I felt pretty confident that I could catch him on the fire road if I could just keep him in sight.

He exited the singletrack a few moments before I did, and red shirt exited a few moments after I did. I was in chase mode to catch blue shirt when red shirt pulled up next to me. We chatted for a short time before I let him pull a little in front of me. I pulled a roadie on him and began to draft. He pulled for a bit as we passed by blue shirt, then he pulled out to the side and told me "I think I'll let you pull for a while". Who was I to argue - turn about is fair play (only later did I talk to a friend of mine who told me that drafting was usually not allowed in traditional triathlons). I don't think it was an issue, I pulled him for at least as long as he pulled me.

I knew the course, and so did he. He had gone to school at Clemson and started mountain biking on these trails. I knew we had one final climb on this fire road before the trail went down hill to the finish.

I opened it up on him a little as we made that climb - the strength I have gained from road riding payed huge dividends here. As I crested the hill, I looked back to see I had pulled 10 or so bike lengths on him. At the top, I clicked it over to the big ring and started hammering. He was working hard to reel me in, but the gap appeared to hold steady.

I crossed the line with that gap intact. I was pleased. I felt I did well - perhaps in the top 5. Red shirt, blue shirt and I chatted a little as we made a cool down ride up the hill (same as where the run started). It was great fellowship.

When I got back to the bike transition area, I hung up my bike and started to get out of my biking gear. About that time, I looked up to see Pip crossing the line. He was about 5 minutes behind me. Great result for him.

Somewhere in there, I walked over to the folks doing the scoring. I asked how I did overall, and they said I was 29th overall (sprint and endurance competitors). She asked if I was in the endurance race, and told me that I might have gotten third place! Third!! I was stoked, but I was trying to keep myself from getting too excited before she finished with the official results.

Abhay came in while I was at my car getting my bike squared away. He had fun, but he had trouble with his racing skull that delayed him for about 10 minutes on the paddle.

We hung around for the results and I was super-stoked to find that I actually came in 2nd overall for the endurance event! What a great way to finish a race.

JD takes 2nd overall for the Clemson Off road triathlon!!

And what about the spring series for me? Without racing today, I dropped in the ominium standings from 6th to 8th place. I'll take that - a top 10 finish in my first ever road racing series, to include a win.

Cat 5, 35+ ominium standings as posted at Donaldson this afternoon.

Making choices - Day 5 of the Greenville Spring Training Series: River Falls

It seems to me that when it comes to racing, you have a choice. You can sit in and let everyone else do the work, or you can get out there and make a race of it. After last week's win, I really didn't want to 'sit in to win', I wanted to make something happen out there at River Falls.

I felt a little nervous going into the race despite the preview ride I did on Thursday with a number of my Spinners teammates. I understood the course and I was prepared for it. We had three spinners lined up in the Cat 5, 35+ group. The field was about 25 to 30 riders.

As we stood at the start line, I looked over the field and saw 6 riders from the Spirited Cyclist team. I knew these guys were serious. Two guys from the Harris Teeter team lined up near the front.

Today was different from all of the other races so far. A break went and it stuck. After cresting the climb for the second time, two of the spirited cyclist guys attacked and pulled a gap quickly. I saw it happen, but didn't react quickly enough. Although I was near the front of the pack at the bottom of the hill, they had hit it really hard. This was my first mistake - letting them make that gap. I set off in pursuit to see about reeling them in.

Half way between turn 1 and turn 2, I was still gaining, but I could see that one of the two had dropped off the pace. I managed to get past him and was within 200 meters of the leader when I decided it would be better if I had someone else up there with me. Looking back, that was my second mistake. I should have just kept at it and made the bridge.

When I became absorbed back into the peleton, I realized how foolish these two mistakes were. This guy's five team-mates were doing a textbook block on the peleton. They would get out in front and sit up. Taking up the whole lane and coming over on other riders to squeeze them out.

I wasn't interested in a 'sit in' mentality, so me and my team-mate Hudson started kicking the pace. We pushed it pretty hard, but those guys kept trying to block us. They would ride in second or third position and as soon as Hudson or I rotated out, they would sit up and do their best to block us. We had another guy or two occasionally get out in front, but it seemed they would drop off the pace and no-one would come in to help out. Of course, Hudson or I would be right there.

So, while the rest of the peleton was sitting in, the Spinners began to dismantle the field. If no-one else was going to work, Hudson and I were going to punish them as much as we could. Hudson worked super hard out there and was always there when I needed a break. When I could sense him slowing up, I would get out and do what I needed to do. We drove the pace up to nearly 22 mph in those last two laps.

I had something happen to me several times today that hadn't happened before. It seems I was a marked man. At times when I found myself recovering in the pack, two of the spirited cyclist guys would single me out and block me directly - one to my front and one squeezing me to whichever side of the road I found myself on. I didn't exactly catch on to this immediately, but by about the third time it happened, I figured it out and decided I wasn't going to play by their rules - so what did I do? I got back out in front and continued to hammer the pace.

In order for me to get past them, I had to do some squeezing myself. As they tried to squeeze me, I drifted towards them. Nobody wants to crash, so they would give way. It was pretty interesting, and I suppose I should take it as a compliment that they would see me as that much of a threat.

With all these hijinks going on, it was still Hudson and I driving the pace. The field had completely shattered and there was only about 10 guys left in our chase group. We did what we could, but the break stuck and the Spirited cyclist guy won the race. The teamwork by those guys was textbook. Their tactics were very well executed. I have a healthy respect for this team and the way they worked together.

How did it play out? Despite the work I had done on our preview of the course - finding my markers on the climb so I would know where to begin my sprint - On the final climb what remained of our original field started earlier than I thought. I let them go - mistake number 3. When my marks came up, I was on the gas, but it wasn't enough to take back more than a few positions.

How do I feel about this after last week's win? Today I had a choice to make - sit in and go for a group ride and go for the sprint (like last week), or get out there and try to make something happen - make a race of it. For better or worse, me and Hudson got out there and made something happen. There's a lot of satisfaction in that, even if it only results in 7th place.

Meeting goals - Day 4 of the Greenville Spring Training Series - Donaldson

I'm finding the learning curve I'm on in this bicycling racing is quite steep. Each race I learn something else. Today's lesson stemmed from advice I received from my Cat 4 team-mate Brian yesterday - "Patience" he said was the key to winning races.

Before I get into that, I have to give a huge shout out to Rich Hincapie, Papa, Joey and everyone else that puts forth so much effort to make this spring series happen. It has been an incredible experience and for the most part things have gone very well. I haven't been aware of any real hitches in the program.

More shouts out to my Greenville Spinners Team-mates. Great results from Robert in the morning's first race - the Cat 5, 34-. He rode a really smart race that he capped off with a win! Great result for him today. Allen finished in ninth position and Bo Z rode in his first race wheels up with a handful of experience to carry into the next race.

In the ominum for the Cat 5, 34-, Robert is sitting 2nd, 18 points down from the current leader. Allen sits in 8th with 9 points. Great showing to have 2 Spinners sitting in the top 10.

I have to give a shout out to my lady friends. In her very first race, my friend Courtney pulled a 2nd place! Congrats to her on a great ride. Bo's wife Nikki came in 6th and Jenn pulled 8th place and Jeni pulled a 9th. Excellent results for all of them this weekend!

In the Cat 4 race, four Spinners lined up for the battle. Kadien was well placed in the ominum (overall series results) and he was racing with Robert, Chris and Bo. The cat 4 race got a little confusing as the Pro, 1, 2 race actually caught the Cat 4 riders. When this happens, the officials 'neutralize' the cat 4 riders. What this really means is the officials make the Cat 4 guys sit up and pedal easy as the faster Pro 1, 2 riders overtake them. Unfortunately this occurred on the last lap of the Cat 4 race with less than 2 miles to go to the finish. Out on the course, the official told the group they were done, but when the group approached the start / finish line Papa sent them off for one more lap. In a sense this was a good thing as it allowed them to race for the finish, but in another sense, it was a little frustrating for them to have that mis-communication between the officials.

When it came to the finish, Spinner Brian Kadien pulled an 11th place for the day. This gives him an overall (ominum) placing of 7th with 12 points. This is 12 points behind the ominum leader Jonathan Pait with 24 points. In the cat 4 ominum, the Spinner's have a second rider in the top 10 - Clark Galivan sits in 10th overall with two top 10 finishes.

So, what's this about meeting goals? A few weeks ago, the Spinners Co-captains asked each of us to post up a bio on the site to let our teammates know who we are and what our goals are for this year. Among my goals was to learn something about racing strategy in this incredible sport of bicycle racing. While there is plenty more for me to learn, I have learned a few things over the course of the last couple of weeks (4 races now). Another of my goals was to participate in enough races to gain some real experience. As noted above, the learning curve is steep - it's a good thing I like climbing!!

The third goal I stated for this racing season was to stand on the podium at least once this season. There is still a long way to go in the season, but let me tell you about today's race.

The race was out at Donaldson today. After yesterday's race, I wasn't sure what to expect. Mostly because I worked a lot harder than I should have yesterday. I burned a lot of matches in lighting my candle for the sprint to the finish. I had a great finish yesterday (9th), but it cost me a lot.

After yesterday's race Kadien gave me the advice 'Patience'. It proved to be my mantra for today.

Like yesterday, the Spirited Cyclist Team started sending peeps off the front from the outset. There was four of them today. I was expecting them to really push the pace and they didn't disappoint - at least for the early part of the first lap.

Their first attack produced nothing for them except one burnt match. Nobody from the peloton fell for it. The guy got a pretty good lead, but he never got out of our sight and we caught him on or at the top of the Golf course hill. There were a few minor attacks today, most of them led by the same team. Several other guys put forth some good effort to push the pace, but honestly, I thought we weren't really racing, just out for a spirited group ride.

Since my mantra was 'Patience' for the day, I hung back in the pack. Several times on the opening lap I found myself in the very back of the pack. This was quite difficult for me - watching those guys launch off the front had me jonesing for the chase. Each time I saw the attack, I heard Kadien say 'Patience'. I restrained myself and just sat back and watched.

Riding in the back of the pack allowed me to watch Abhay as he worked the pack near the front. He did well - reacting when necessary, sitting in when called for. Overall, with only 2 of us out there, the race was controlled by these Spirited Cyclist guys. No problem, they wanted it, the rest of us just paced them.

In the position I had taken near the back of the pack, I found my outlook on the race completely different. Instead of thinking constantly about responding to the attacks, I found myself thinking about where I would be able to move easily towards the front when it became necessary.

From the back, you can see these opportunities. As we came around to finish the first lap, I had spotted a number of spots where I would be able to advance should it become necessary later in the race. Another important lesson learned from that first lap was about the wind. Although the wind was not strong for our early races, it was there. My objective for that first lap was to understand where it was coming from on the different parts of the course so I could make sure and position myself for maximum protection.

For fun, as I crossed the start / finish line at the end of the first lap, I played to the crowd a little. I was in the very back of the pack, so I came across the line completely sitting up on my seat with my best parade wave going. I also had a huge smile on my face. I was having fun, partly because I wasn't really working hard at that point.

Although I wasn't working hard, I was feeling the effects of yesterday's race. Each time the road turned up, my legs let me know how hard I worked at fork shoals. I did have some internal battles on that first lap - my mind trying to convince my legs that they weren't really tired at all.

The second lap was similar to the first, except I worked on implementing the 'move up' strategies I tried to envision during the first lap. This lap I took a more active role in the race. While I still did my best to pay attention to my positioning and stay out of the wind, I did work the peloton more aggressively.

Surprisingly, the attacks by the Spirited Cyclist team didn't continue at the same intensity as they started with. Nobody was falling for it, so it ended up that their guys spent a lot of time out in the wind. Even when they were caught by the peloton, the peloton simply pulled in behind them and let them do the work. This resulted in a pace that didn't really seem that fast - especially for me as I was sitting in the back and avoiding any work. We actually averaged over 21mph for the race, but it really didn't feel that fast to me.

Sometime during the 2nd lap, Abhay and I found ourselves riding side by side. We didn't talk much, but Abhay must have been reading my mind. He said to me 'Patience'. I commented something about how difficult that concept was.

As we came through the country route turn off on the second lap, I was really surprised how slow the pace seemed. We were heading into the wind so that slowed us down further. I worked the peloton for protection while I watched Abhay working it from closer to the front.

As we approached the last of the hangers before the end of runway dip, Abhay had had enough of the slow pace. He pushed ahead with a strong effort. He pulled 10 bike lengths before peeps started reacting. The peloton caught him as we began the climb up the opposite side of that end of runway dip. As with previous attacks, the peloton simply pulled in behind Abhay and let him set the pace until another guy decided to get out front.

At the end of the 2nd lap, I was still riding near the back of the pack, but I had ideas about how I would be able to implement my move up strategy and had practiced it a little. Despite the fact my legs were feeling the effects of the previous day, I felt pretty confident I would be able to implement my strategy.

Although Abhay and I didn't really talk strategy today, I think he did a great job up front covering what needed to be covered. He gave a strong effort when necessary to keep a break from running away from us (more than once). When he rode up next to me and said 'Patience', I felt he understood where I was coming from. He knew I was sitting in for the bulk of the race. I think he knew what I was working towards. I felt a lot more confident knowing he was up there working the front.

At the end of the 2nd lap, I had worked my way up into the top 10 and was back in serious race mode (contrary to my 'parade' mode at the end of the 1st lap). Through the rollers on the north end of the course I maintained close to the top 10. A few guys may have sneaked past me, but I felt ok with that.

As we started up the golf course hill for the final time, I was watching closely to see if we would have anything happening. As I expected, one of the Spirited cyclist guys attacked on the hill. I found myself in that purgatory between a breakaway pack and the peloton. I had the power to reel in the break, but I argued with myself for too long.

You might imagine what was going through my head - think of the scene in Animal House - the guy has his devil and angel consciences on his shoulders and they are arguing about what he should do. It was a little like that, but without the language.

On one hand, my natural tendency is to reel in the breakaway. On the other hand, I kept hearing Kadien and Abhay saying 'Patience'. The result was I ended up sitting in this purgatory a lot longer than I should have. What I should have done was to simply pull up and let the peloton absorb me. That way, I could have continued to conserve. I don't think it hurt me too much, but lesson learned I think.

The peloton did indeed re-absorb this small break as we crested the hill and began into the rollers. however, the pace had picked up again. There was some jockeying through those rollers, but as we approached 3M hill, the pace slowed once more.

I was working towards moving up to the front, and the pack was a little strung out. The lead riders - who were tired of doing all the work, were actually swerving back and forth across the road. I thought this was pretty stupid and quite dangerous. I was far enough back to not let it worry me, but any crash in front of you has potential to end your race.

Coming through the country loop intersection for the final time, I was only in the top 20. We turned into a head wind and some guys went to the front. These guys pushed the pace a little, which strung out the pack. I latched on to a guy here and there to move myself up on the left side of the pack.

As we passed the hangers on the right, before the end of runway dip, I found myself right about where I wanted to be. On the left side, with a relatively clear path in front of me and in the top 15.

We came through the dip, and I allowed my momentum to carry me a little further up the hill on the other side. I was now in the top 10 riders, right where I wanted to be. The pace was not too hard up the hill, so I just stayed on the wheel in front of me.

Ironically, this wheel belonged to the les amis guy Bobby who spent a good part of the day near the front reacting to the attacks. A couple of times throughout the race I found myself riding beside him. Funny how racing friendships work - when I pulled next to him, I would say something along the lines of 'what up Bobby?'. He would reply in a similar fashion and we would continue racing.

He had put himself in a pretty good position on the final climb - he was on the left side, three abreast with two other guys. These three were leading the pack up the hill. I knew Bobby is a pretty strong rider, so I just attached myself to his wheel.

The hill climbs up through a right curve, uphill on a slightly less grade to a left curve. Just before this left curve is the '1000m to sprint' sign. I kept hearing Kadien say 'Patience'. I held Bobby's wheel through this left curve and along the now flattening straight before the final right hand curve. As we approached the 200m mark, things started to get interesting.

I was still behind Bobby, but it was obvious that pressure was building behind me. It was not something I saw, but rather something I felt. I moved to come around Bobby and started hammering. It wasn't a full blown hammer, but it was definitely an increase in intensity.

About this time, I saw and heard a guy go down on the far right of the road. He got forced off the road and hit a pretty major pothole. I saw him faceplant and lose his helmet. The last I saw, his bike was catapulting into the lane.

There was nothing I could do for him, so I kept hammering. One of the spirited Cyclist guys came across the course, drifting towards me, forcing me slightly further to the left. I reacted with a slight move to the left, but more importantly, I reacted with a harder effort and pulled passed him.

As we crossed the 200m mark, I was leading the pack and was still not in full sprint mode. I knew there would be guys coming. Once again, I felt the pressure of those behind me bearing down on me, so I kicked it up into full sprint mode. I could see my goal in front of me and kept my focus on reaching that goal.

It was a bit surreal for me. There was nobody in front of me and I was less than 100m from the finish. I felt certain that the crash had taken out a huge part of the pack. This is that little insecure kid that resides inside each of us. I didn't feel worthy to be in this position this close to the end. After all, I didn't really do any work today. I sat in the back, in parade mode for parts of the race.

That little nagging feeling wouldn't leave me though - there was that pressure from behind. So, I kept at it. If I learned anything from yesterday's race, it was to race to the finish. I had open road and I was in full sprint mode and there was pressure from behind. I wasn't going to give up without a fight.

As my goal got closer, the pressure from behind increased. Finally, in the closing meters of the race, a wheel appeared to my left. I pushed hard, and surged at the line. It was going to be a close call.

We crossed the line, too close for me to call. I thought I had it, but he came on me strong and it was really close. The camera would tell the tale. At worst I had pulled a 2nd place on the day.

You can imagine how stoked I was! I saw my friend April from The Living Pixel taking photos at the finish and hoped she got that one - it's one for the personal record books!

My Cat 5, 34- friends were at the start / finish line along with a number of other friends when I came back from a short cool down loop. They had had a great race and were just coming back to play spectator when I was launching my final sprint. We shared some great comradery before I went back to my car to change.

There was still the question whether I pulled the win or got 2nd, so I was excited to hear Bo scream 'YEAH JD!!!!' shortly after Papa announced the posting of the 35+ results. I DID IT! I pulled the win! Even better, the guy who I just beat was the guy who had won both of last weekend's races! That quieted that insecure kid - the competition was not eliminated when the crash occurred.

I was concerned though about Abhay. I asked if any of the Spinners had gotten wrapped up in the crash and how many went down. Apparently there was about 6 guys who went down. It was only after I had changed that I found Abhay and he told me that he went down on the fringes of the crash. Thankfully, he wasn't hurt.

So, with today's win, I am now ranked 5th in the ominum with 12 points. That is 17 points out of 1st overall. The only way I could pass the leader is for me to win both of the next two races and for him to do poorly or not show. I am planning on racing the River Falls race, but next Sunday is the Clemson off - road triathlon, so I wouldn't be racing in the spring series. Perhaps a 1st overall is not in the cards for this series, but at least I can check off my goal of standing on the podium. When I set that goal, I wasn't thinking I would be making that check from the top step of that podium!

Day 3 of Greenville Spring Series - Fork Shoals

Today was a big day - the third in the Greenville spring training series races. Of course, this was also my third road race ever so it's interesting for me to see how things shake out. First though, I want to comment on my compadres racing in different categories than I.

Cat 5, 34-
Not the best day for our younger cat 5 guys. Allen had a good finish, but Robert, who won at last week's BMW race crashed and didn't finish. I don't know how it really played out, but Allen ended up 11th or so. I'd say that was a good finish, but he wasn't satisfied when I spoke to him after his race.

Cat 4
The Cat 4 guys had a great race. Early in the race Tim Granger was out with 3 other guys on a breakaway that lasted for definately an entire lap, and perhaps more before they got reeled in by the pack. Randy, Kirk and Brian stayed with the pack throughout the race. Randy and Kirk did a lot of work near the front to help control the race - especially when Tim was out on the breakaway. When it came to the end, Brian, who has a pretty good placement in the ominum rocked it in for 6th place. Listening to those guys talk about it, it was a really strong effort by Brian coming from 20 something position up to 6th in the last 1000 meters (or so).

Cat 5, 35+
This of course is the race in which I participated. We had a relatively small field for this race - something on the order of 20 - 25 riders (guessing here - it wasn't huge). There were three Spinners guys out there today. Abhay, Dave and I lined up to see what we could make happen.

As in the previous races, I lined up on the front. Something about being in the back doesn't sit well with me. Abhay was on the front with me and we enjoyed listening to Glenn give us the pre-race low-down (Glenn has worked as the announcer in each of the Spring Series races so far). He's got a good sense of humour and we all shared some laughs as he spoke. Dave pulled in to the back as Glenn was wrapping up his spiel.

Today's race started off with an immediate attack. We weren't 2 miles down the road before a couple of guys tried to go off the front. Me and one other guy latched on to their wheels. There was a small chance of a breakaway, but despite the fact that each of us pulled through for at least one rotation, we weren't really getting anywhere. At best, we might have pulled about a dozen bike lengths, but it was relatively short lived. Perhaps our little breakaway was out there for about 3-5 miles. Good effort, but it just didn't happen that early in the race.

In fact, when I latched on to those guys, I even thought it was too early. I knew I should not be working so hard so early in the race. However, since they did pull a little gap, I felt it was important that a Spinner was out there to cover it. And, because I'm arguably an idoit, I like to be near the front to cover these kinds of things.

There were a lot of attacks today. There was two teams that seemed to be making their attempts at controlling the pace. I have to say they succeeded. The teams were the Harris Teeter team and the 'spirited cycling cycling club' team. It seemed they were swapping attacks. None of them really ever got away, but both those teams had a strategy.

What was I doing when these guys were attacking? Well, I was up there near the front reacting. For the first lap, I was there with them, responding to their attacks. I spent a lot of time (too much really) being reactive. My team-mates were much smarter than I was - they recognized that none of these attacks were going to amount to enough to be concerned about. They sat in and conserved. Meanwhile, I'm being stupid out there.

Some interesting things happened with these teams - more than once, one of the team-mates of the attacker pulled us up to the breakaway group. I have made that mistake before, but it happened probably 5 or 6 times today. That's a lot of mistakes being made by those guys. Whatever, it saved me and my Spinners team-mates (and everyone else) from having to work to make the bridge.

Speaking of making the bridge, one of the guys who I have mentioned in my previous race reports - the les amis guy Bobby - did his share of work today. He got out front and pulled, and he was involved in the early breakaway attempt as well. He worked hard. I don't know how he ended up, but he was there for pretty much the entire race.

I did my share of making bridges today. My tendancy is to not let anyone get too far ahead. With these two teams out there, they were actually blocking when their guys were out front. I saw it happening, as I'm sure others did. More than once, I pulled the peloton up to the breakaway group. I tried to moderate myself - keeping in my best aero position and doing my best to minimize the work I had to do. Still, I was out there actively participating in that race. I enjoyed it - every minute of it. Even when I was out front making the bridge or pulling the peloton - working much harder than I really needed to. As it turned out, none of the breakaways ever amounted to anything. Would it have been any different if I had sat in? Probably not, I'm sure there is someone else out there who would have made the bridge if it wasn't me or one of the several others who put forth the effort.

The pace was fast today. I didn't see my computer to get an actual average pace, but we (all of us) worked hard. Even the guys sitting in had to work to keep with the pack. The hills were definately a factor today. There are two significant hills on the Fork Shoals course. One of them is just past the half-way point on the course. It leads up to Dunklin Bridge Road. There was an attack on this hill on each of our two laps. Again, nothing really came of these attacks, but they were excellent efforts from the attackers.

The other hill leads up to the left turn and the final 1500 meters (or so). This was a hill that could make a difference in this race. Randy had warned me about this hill and given me some advice on how to handle it in the closing stages of the race. This course and this hill is well suited for those who are climbers. While it was not a horrendus distance to climb, at full race pace it would prove to be a deciding factor.

As we made the final climb up to Dunklin Bridge road, there was two off the front. One of them was from the Spirited Cycling club. I'm don't recall who the other rider was. We kept them in sight, and I was near the front.

I like climbing, and I feel I have a pretty strong motor for making those climbs. It didn't surprise me when I found myself at the front of the peloton as we finished the climb and turned on to Dunklin bridge road.

Dunklin Bridge road is not a difficult road to ride, but it is uphill more than the casual cyclist would recognize. I tried to put my climbing skills to work to bring the peloton back up to the two riders on their breakaway. Mostly what I mean is I tried to let my legs do the work while not stressing my heart and / or lungs too much. I was reasonably successful - we caught them just after we made the turn onto Cedar Falls road.

After making that turn, I dropped back in the pack a little to see about making some recovery. I didn't drop back too far - still within the top 10. We had less than 5 miles to go and I wanted to be in striking position if it came to that.

Abhay and Dave rode a really smart race. They covered my back as I was out there doing my best to cover the attacks. I felt good knowing they were there with me. I was hoping to give a leadout for one of them to get a good placing in the race and through that some points in the ominum.

The final 4 miles of this course is through rolling hills along this Cedar Falls Road. At one point (a very critical point), you get an incredible view of 'Fork Shoals' - or at least I think it is fork shoals. It's cool, no matter what it is called. I think that is the Reedy River we are riding along.

As we caught the two riders who had a small breakaway since before the hill leading up to Dunklin Bridge road, I tried to stay near the front. I was hoping that Abhay was working his way up as that is what we had discussed prior to the race. The plan was that he and I would get together after the turn and I would give him a leadout as we approached and went through the final turn.

Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out as we had planned. As we rolled through Cedar Falls road I found myself near the front of the peloton. Not a major problem, but unfortunatly, I mis-timed my attack.

There are actually two hills leading up to the last left turn. The first hill is relatively short, but certainly can begin to break the pack apart. As we approached this hill, I lost track of where I was on the course. While I didn't go full out on this hill, I did find myself pushing pretty hard. In fact, as we crested this hill, I found myself at the front of the pack. This is not really where I wanted to be at this point. I was hoping to have some peeps to draft off of as we made the descent to the final hill.

Without those peeps, I did what I could - I tucked in and did my best to find opportunity to recover. As you make this descent, you have the awesome view of the shoals off to your right. As I coasted down towards the bridge, I found myself looking over at these shoals and I really felt a sense of peace. Funny how you find these moments in life, especially when I realized the mistake I made by pushing so hard up that first hill.

As I approached the bridge, I started spinning again to make sure I was in the appropriate gear for the final hill before the turn. I crossed that bridge leading the peloton and started pulling them up the hill on the other side. I felt pretty good, but I questioned my own sanity. What was I thinking pushing so hard up that first little rise???

I continued my climb up the last significant hill on the course. Perhaps half way up, I was passed by an unknown rider and my team-mate Abhay. He was killing it! I picked up my pace and tried to stay on his wheel. At least one or two others got passed me as we made the final approach to the last left turn.

Abhay had a strong pace up the hill, which I was not able to completely match. There was one or two guys between us, and one guy in front of him. As they made the left turn, Abhay had the advantage and was first through the turn.

While there was still a couple of riders between us, I still felt strong and those guys faded quickly. Abhay was out in front by himself and I felt it important to get up to him. I thought if I could get in front of him, perhaps I could give him the leadout we had discussed prior to the race.

It's amazing how the wind can affect your efforts on the bike. There was only about 2 bike lengths between Abhay and I, and we had just under a mile to go. I had to do my best aero tuck to gain advantage on him. I was really hoping I could help him to the finish.

As we passed the 1000m to sprint sign, I saw that I was gaining on him. We were still leading the pack, so I felt pretty good about what was happening. I wasn't sure how Abhay was feeling, but I knew where I was - I was feeling it for sure. One thing is different today from last week - I was going to 'play to the bell'.

Perhaps it is obvious, but that phrase 'play to the bell' really means that you go as hard as you can until the race (or game in the case of this phrase) is over. I was determined to go as hard as I could today.

In my post-race analysis from last week, I realized that I really didn't give it everything I had. On saturday I let up when the sprinters started to pass me. On sunday, I let up about the time the peloton caught me. Today I wasn't going to give up.

I saw that Abhay was starting to drop off the pace, so I pulled harder and as I passed him, I said (if you can imagine my effort, I was completely out of breath, so the fact that I could say anything to him amazes me) "C'mon Abhay". I was hoping he would still have some reserves.

I kept pulling as the road continued uphill slightly. As we passed the 200m mark, I was still in front, and I was hoping he was still on my wheel. Shortly after that, the sprinters started to show their wheels. I redoubled my efforts and tried to maintain my position. I didn't see Abhay pass me, but I was pretty occupied at that particular moment.

Several riders got passed me. Determined not to repeat the performance of last week, I kicked it up a couple of gears and started standing up. As I approached the finish line, I was wheel to wheel with another guy. I feel good about my effort - I didn't give up, I pushed until we crossed the line.

In the aftermath, I finished in ninth position for the day. I am really stoked about this finish as it came after a lot of effort throughout the race. In chatting with my Cat 4 team-mate Kadiens after the race, I realize what I now need to learn - Patience. Had I spent less time pulling the peloton I might have had a better finishing position.

The other important part of today's race is the obvious strength of my team-mates. I think both Dave and Abhay are very accomplished riders. However, I think they are more conservative than they need to be. I think with the three of us, we can respond to any attack, and still put someone in the top 10 for every race. The only thing we need to do is continue to learn each other's strengths and begin to work those strengths to the team advantage.