LONGVIEW FARMS, Missouri -- Though I'm still terrified enough to miss my former favorite Tour of Lawrence this year, I at least want to earn as many KBAT points for my cycling team this year (and some KBAR points as well). After having a half-decent result for the Jesse Blancarte 10k TT in Gardner, Kansas a few weeks back, I decided to register for at least the KBAR/KBAT-points-earning Tour of KC New Longview Criterium. This would be my very first criterium race since The Accident last year. While I was at it, I figured I'd grab the night before's New Longview Street Sprints as well. Though not a points-earning event, it still should prove some fun (and safe) experience. I would skip the non-KBAR/KBAT-points-earning third day of the Tour of KC, the Cliff Drive Circuit Race. I wasn't familiar with the course, and wanted to eliminate any and all risk from an already-busy race calendar.
About the Tour of KC
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Screen shot of this year's race flyer (click HERE for
full race flyer in PDF form). |
The Tour of KC has been in commission for a while, although over the past decade, it's had its fair share of trials and tribulations. The Tour of KC was actually one of my first criterium experiences, and two of the three days used to be held at a police academy in Raytown on their driving practice course. On the outside, it seemed like the Tour of KC was in jeopardy: registration seemed thin, as did sponsors (although, I cannot surmise as to the
actual state of the Tour of KC). The last two years have seen a resurgence of the Tour, though. Registrations are back, sponsorship is up, and the format has found its style.
Similar to the Tour of Lawrence, the Tour of KC now hosts a Friday night street sprints competition at New Longview (just east of Longview Lake) in Missouri (formerly, "Race A" of the Police Academy race was held on Friday night, and "Race B" of the Police Academy race was Saturday morning). Saturday is the New Longview criterium, a criterium that has been in the Tour of KC lineup it seems since always. Finally, Sunday is the Cliff Drive Circuit Race, which, last year, was actually held on Friday night, and only to Cat. 4 riders and above. Formerly there was a downtown Lee's Summit criterium on Sunday, which has been stripped from the schedule.
In addition to the three races, the Tour of KC now features Kansas City's first true Grand Fondo, which for the unfamiliar, is a timed long-distance ride. It's generally considered non-competitive, but given formal timing, it attracts riders from all levels. Also held in conjunction to the Tour of KC is the Kansas City Real Ale Festival, which will no doubt attract additional spectators of all events. Lots of change over the years, but the Tour is back and (again, it seems) stronger than ever.
About Criteriums...
I may have explained in a past post, but in case it's missed, there are several different types of races in cycling. Here's a quick run-through...
*Road Race: What you typically think of when you think of bike racing. A-to-B (or long, one-lap loops) racing of long distances, usually more than 40-50 miles, though the pros often see 100-150 miles. Team tactics are key. Usually you have multiple teammates riding together to help take one teammate to the finish line. There are often a mix of road race types, such as the Mountain Stage, which is best suited for climbers, and the Sprinter's Stage, which is best suited for last-minute sprints to the line. Energy savings is also a big key in this one, which is why you'll often see huge
pelotons (or large groups of cyclists riding together), whereby riders draft off of each other to avoid losing energy to the wind.
*Individual Time Trial (or "ITT" or simply "TT"): My favorite. This is a long solo effort. No teammates around you. Just you against the clock. Generally A-to-B or out-and-back courses, though that isn't necessarily always true. You must race a specific distance, and are given a time as you cross the line. You are ranked by your time against your rivals. Everyone starts and finishes alone.
*Circuit Race: Similar to the criterium (see below), but the course is generally longer in length (about 3 or more miles). At least, that's about all the difference I can figure out. But even then longer courses of 20 or so miles will be referred to criteriums in the pro rankings. So I suppose I have no clue what the difference is.
*Stage Race: Any combination of any (or all) of the above, strung together in to a few consecutive days (such as a weekend, like the Sunflower State Games, Tour of Lawrence, or Tour of KC), or 7/8 consecutive days (over a whole week, such as the Tour of California), or even 21 days (called a "Grand Tour," such as the Tour de France -- usually has two or three rest days sprinked throughout). For shorter distance stage races, points are sometimes given depending on finishing place (for ex., 8 points to first place in the first race, and 7 points for 2nd place, and so on), and the winner of the stage race has the most points. For longer races, this format is replaced by finishing time.
Finally, you have this report's race: the criterium.
Criteriums are by far the most intense of all cycling events. This involves multiple laps around a short (usually 1-mile or so) course. Criteriums are always classified by how long the race will go time-wise, plus a few additional "finishing laps." During higher-category criteriums, "primes" (pronounced
preems) are established on specific laps during the race. So, for example, the first rider to cross the line on lap three will "win the prime," which usually comes in the form of a cash prize. Some riders will shoot for winning a prime, then move back and help out a better-endurance teammate to take the overall win.
As noted, the length of a criterium race is time-plus-distance-based. So, for example, the Tour of KC New Longview Category 4 criterium (the one I registered for) is a 50min criterium. That means the race will go for 50 minutes of racing (no matter how many laps). At the start of the race, race organizers will determine the number of finishing laps (usually 2 or 3), and once the pre-determined 50 minutes is up, racers will then race the final 2 or 3 laps. Sometimes these races are referred to by their time and distance, such as "50+3," or "50 minutes plus 3 laps." Sometime criteriums will just be classified by just the number of laps, but the "time+laps" format is most common. For my registered race, we would race 50 minutes. Once 50 minutes has passed, we would then start our finishing laps (again, likely an additional 2 or 3 laps).
The majority of the 50 minutes of my race would likely involve just staying with the lead pack and staying out of trouble (wrecks are really common during criteriums). Some riders would likely "attack" (or sprint ahead of the group and try to win on their own), but more often then not (especially during a long 50 minute race), the larger group would catch all attacking riders. Approaching the end of the 50 minutes, teams will start to organize together, with teammates "leading out" (or just leading) one or two of their fellow riders that are good last-minute sprinters.
Once racers start their finishing laps, the real race is on. Speed is ridiculously high, and you almost always see a crash due to the tight course and high speeds. Attacks happen often as riders try to take the finish line on their own. On the last lap just short of the finish, many riders will sprint to the line. You'll often see more sprinters for criteriums than you will for road races, which also ups the danger factor.
New Longview Criterium Course Preview
Again, I decided against the third-day Cliff Drive Circuit Race: it doesn't provide any KBAR/KBAT points opportunities, and other than running it during the KC Track Club's Cliff Drive 8k, I had no experience racing the course. Given that this would be my first criterium in almost a year (in fact, coming up on the year anniversary of my nasty accident at the Tour of Lawrence last year), I stuck with just the New Longview Criterium -- a course I had raced several times in the past.
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The Tour of KC New Longview Criterium course, with the first of two significant climbs highlighted.
(Image courtesy of Google Earth; see TrainingPeaks course profile HERE) |
If history repeats itself, this specific criterium would splinter the pack (break the larger group up in to many smaller groups and solo efforts). Though the distance of the course isn't much longer than the typical criterium, the amount of elevation change is definitely remarkable. The start line begins at the highest point of the course and heads north downhill on SW Longview Road. The descent is significant enough that forces some strong breaking in to the first left turn on SW Longview (road changes direction, name stays). Wrecks at this intersection are common. Three quick right-hand turns through the small neighborhoods of New Longview shoot you back on to the northern trek towards the start line.
This is where the first major climb comes in, and after only a few laps, starts to break up the pack in to tiny pieces. The first of two climbs is a quarter mile up a 2.7% grade that shreds the legs. At the top of the hill, a left-hand turn at Kessler takes riders back down in to a Metropolitan Community College perimeter road. At the end of this road is the second very-short-very-steep climb (about 6% grade) back on on to SW Longview Road headed for the finish line.
The course overall is about 1 and a quarter miles. Though it's never easy to predict speeds for criteriums, my guess would be a 23mph average over the 50+3 (or +2) race would result in about 18 or 19 laps. Previous years, racing Category 5 was 30+2, and I remember being absolutely shot afterward. This year would, in a faster and longer category, be very interesting.
Pre-Race
Weather forecast would be similar to it was in 2013: hot and humid, with temperatures around 91, and heat indexes in the upper 90's. On the roads, this would likely be closer to mid- to upper-90's for the actual, and above 100 for the heat index (blacktop does that). This would mean dehydration, sticky brakes and slippery road tar.
Besides the weather, I was pulling double-duty on race day, with a 5k slated for early morning, and then the criterium start time at 3:15am. That gave me about 4 hours worth of rest before it was time to start warming up for the Tour of KC. Not the most ideal situation. Post-5k, my quads were pretty trashed. Not only from the 5k, but from the hard training I had that week. I did all I could to intake fluids, including electrolytes, protein and, of course, cherry juice. Then, I slept as much as possible (which wasn't much) between the 5k finish line and the Tour of KC start line.
I arrived at New Longview about 90 minutes ahead of start time. My legs felt reasonably well. An hour short of start time, I grabbed a quick 6-mile warmup around the area. What few climbs there were, that's where my legs started to show their fatigue -- in spades. My lactate threshold was significantly lower on efforts. And, given the elevation challenges of the course, a lower threshold spelled death. I grabbed my bib number, and sat in the car a few moments in the A/C before it was time for course-recon. With any luck, the toxins would clear after my warmup, and I'd be better-suited for the course come start time.
Fifteen minutes before start and the Category 5's were finished. Time for a few laps of course recon. It didn't
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| The packed start line for the Cat. 4 race. |
take long before I started remembering the course specifics: every street fissure, every uneven pavement, every pothole. Two laps, and we were called for staging.
Race Day
I was one of the first to approach the line for Category 4 staging. Riders poured in around me. I took a small step back from the start line -- I didn't want to be pressured against the front of the pack on my first criterium back in almost a whole year. The riders kept coming...one by one...five by five... This was by far the largest group of the day. And on a course as narrow as this, that meant a fair amount of risk. My anxiety spiked. In the past, I've been able to hang on to the back of the pack and finish with the group. Maybe I could do that this time. At this point, KBAR/KBAT points aside, all I wanted to do was finish and have fun doing it. Roll call, all 42 riders accounted for, and it was time to go.
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Bombing in to corner one, teammate on my
wheel. (Photo courtesy of Dan Reuttimann) |
The horn sounded, and riders immediately sprinted out in front of the group. A break of four ended up staying away, while the rest of the group charged hard out off the line. Speed was extremely high -- almost 27mph average and above. It wasn't even a full lap before two riders ahead of me began to slow. Was the pack slowing too? No. I was getting caught out behind a select few riders that were already losing ground. I sprinted around them, one-by-one, until I latched on to the last of the main group, just in time for the end of lap 1.
Down the hill in to turn one, the group was already charging ahead. Another dropped back, and I sprinted around him, attempting to latch on again. It wasn't until the first real climb that I was able to attach back on. Up climb two, another fell back. On to the main straight, finishing lap 2, I was back on the group. The whole back was stretched out in single-file; the pace was ridiculously high, and everyone was struggling to find some semblance.
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Still in somewhat a group on Climb 1, but
already the group was falling apart (Photo
courtesy of Dan Reuttimann) |
A few more dropped on lap 3, and I was just back from the group. Finishing lap 3, I looked ahead: I was no longer in the lead group. The race had broken into two main packs, and I was in the trailing pack -- and was struggling to even keep up with them. I was caught out on my own in the wind. I had to somehow figure out how to get back up there. My heart rate was maxed out, and my legs seared with pain.
Two riders dropped back a bit from the second group. They seemed to be working well together, trading time in to the wind. If I could encourage them on, perhaps we could ride back up to the pack. I grabbed hold, took a few breaths, then took my turn riding in the wind. A quarter mile of leading them out, I pulled off to let the next rider through, but no one came. They both fell back, each now on their own -- including myself.
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Several laps in, still attempting to grab
a few riders on my way back to the
second group (Photo courtesy of Dan
Reuttimann) |
As I started lap 4 -- alone -- the second group was at least 200m ahead. I tried my best to keep my head down and my my body as small as possible. I kept my eyes focused on the road beneath my wheels, looking up only 50m ahead of me. I had to push. Each pedal stroke up climbs 1 and 2 were absolute agony. Cresting the hill on to the front straight, I looked ahead past the start banner. I hadn't gained any ground, despite passing two more that had detached from the group. This was a war of attrition, and I was losing.
I tried again for the first half of lap 5. Upping the first hill, I could no longer see the group. I was done. I had zero energy left in me. The heat was causing me to lose focus, and my legs were running on fumes. I went in to time trial mode. Now it was no longer a matter of how I should finish; now it was a matter of when I was going to get lapped -- and subsequently pulled from the race.
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| I'm calling it here. Lap 7. Done. |
My speeds began to plummet for lap six. I thought about dropping out as I crossed the start/finish line.
Looking up at the time clock, only 21 minutes had passed. 21 MINUTES!!! I wasn't even halfway finished with the race -- I still had to suffer an additional half hour, plus two laps before the race was over. I felt so defeated. Halfway up Climb 1, I could see the lead group behind me. I would soon be passed -- if not on the next climb, at least on the next lap. I didn't want to get called out by the officials -- this would be it for me. I suffered the second climb on to the front straight, pulled off, and signaled to the race officials: three swipes with my hand across the throat. The universal sign for "stick a fork in me, I'm done."
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Completely. And totally. Cashed.
(Photo courtesy of Dan Reuttimann) |
So what is there to learn from such an experience? For one, I hadn't trained specifically for criteriums since May of 2013. In 2012 and 2013, both March and July both marked pinnacles for area criterium racing season. On my race calendar, I attended all of the major events, training very specifically for each. Criteriums require a very specific type of training regimen -- one I had not followed at all this year. For 2014, this would (likely)
be my only criterium. March was half-marathon season, and the summer included a string of 5k's, time trials, and multisport events, which were essentially 5k's with time trials combined. Nowhere did I have space for criteriums, neither in training nor in racing.
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Lining up for the Jazz in the Woods 5k, only
6 hours before I would toe the line at the Tour of KC.
(Photo courtesy of Artistic Expressions) |
The second thing I learned? Though two-a-days are a great training plan, they don't translate well in to racing. Two 5k's or a 5k and a 10k or a 5k and a time trial are possible, for sure. But a 5k and a criterium are not at all compatible with each other. Never again would I try such a feat.
I will in all likeliness be back for 2015 for the Tour of KC. I love the event, am comfortable (relatively) with the course and format, and it is a great way to get my criterium fix, not to mention hopefully earn my team some points in the process. I'll just make sure to not run a 5k the same day...
Race Metrics
Distance: 8.58mi (7laps)
Time: 24:57
Avg. Speed: 20.6mph
Max. Speed: 29.5mph
Tot.Climb.: 340ft
Kcal: 378kcal
Avg. HR: 170bpm
Max. HR: 181bpm
Avg. Cad.: 93rpm
Max. Cad.: 125rpm
Weather: 91F(HI96)/64%/Sunny/S10
Placing: DNF (0 points KBAR/KBAT)
TrainingPeaks Event Profile: HERE
Keep R/B/S-ing. -tds
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