The Internet of Bikes: 2011 Housatonic Hills Road Race

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The Housatonic Hills Road Race is road race held in Southbury, Connecticut. The course is a 27 mile route through the craggy and wooded hills surrounding Roxbury and Southbury. The course features long climbs, short and sharp hills, fast descents and the switchbacks of Constitution Hill Road. The race is an epic, mid season classic event that like a siren song, beckons riders from the O/A Cyclemania Masters Cycling Team and elsewhere to participate. Frame and Wheel rationalized the long drive and the overnight by calling this race the last event before a mid season break from racing and training. Frame and Wheel joined about 70 other riders in the Pro 123 category racing 81 miles or three times around the loop. 

Frame and Wheel tracked the race, or the part that Frame and Wheel managed to complete, with an Android smartphone, and posts the terrain version of the map with some labels so that the viewer can get a better sense about the details of the race. Total moving time duration is 157 minutes (includes a short warm up), total distance is 52 miles, average moving speed is 19 miles per hour, maximum speed is 49 miles per hour, total elevation gain is 4,630 feet, maximum elevation is 916 feet and maximum grade is 30% (Frame and Wheel is not sure if this is accurate, although there is one very steep but short section that feels like thirty percent).
Frame and Wheel includes the details in the labels on the map. The main observation about this race is that it requires great strength and endurance for the climbs, very good energy management technique and  good judgement. Frame and Wheel clearly lacks all of these things on this day: Frame and Wheel is frequently riding in the open off the back of the field, especially on the downhills,  and is lured into a few accelerations that create some gaps, but no breaks. A savage surge up Constitution Hill on the second lap, led by Cameron Coughburn (Jelly Belly Kenda) burns up the matchbook, and the following accelerations prevent any opportunity for recovery. At the bottom of Hunt's Hill climb, the resulting 20 man break is caught by the rest of the field and Frame and Wheel's huge effort is for naught. Frame and Wheel watches as the field steadily moves up the road.
The race is over for Frame and Wheel. Unable to catch on to the stragglers, Frame and Wheel spends the next hour and a half or so creeping through the woods of central Connecticut. Frame and Wheel ruminates on the race and marvels at the cycling excellence of the riders in this category:  Frame and Wheel notes the technique of Mr. Coughburn, who sits at the back of the field (familiar territory for Frame and Wheel) and then advances on the climbs at high cadence. Frame and Wheel looks forward to some vacation time.
Frame and Wheel abandons at the beginning of lap two just as four team mates are finishing in the 40 plus category. A terrible crash in the last kilometer claims a team mate. Frame and Wheel and the rest of the OA/Cyclemania Masters Cycling team spend the next few hours managing this catastrophe and the   usual Shoulda Woulda Coulda post race analysis is ignored. Frame and Wheel sees more of the emergency room than is desired and feels like a bullet has been dodged. The sirens of the Housatonic Hills Road Race have had their way again.

The Internet of Bikes: Dick Williamson Time Trial (Maine Time Trial Series Race #5)

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The Dick Williamson Time Trial is a 13.6 mile point to point time trial held on Route 4 just outside of  Auburn, Maine. It is the fifth race in the Maine Time Trial Series. The course features flat to gently rolling terrain, strong winds and a long and quite steep hill at mile eight. Temperatures were in the low 50s and conditions were wet, windy and cold. About 30 riders started the race. Frame and Wheel tracked the race with an Android smartphone and marks some features of the course in the labels above. Total duration is 34 minutes (including the parking lot repeats), total distance is 14 miles, average moving speed is 25 miles per hour, maximum speed is 40 miles per hour, maximum elevation is 375 feet, total elevation gain is 452 feet and maximum grade is 9 percent.

Frame and Wheel is required to be "present and sober" back home by late morning and thus decides to park the car at the finish and ride the 13.6 miles to the start. This serves as the warm up for the race and allows Frame and Wheel to skip the 40 minute warm down ride that most riders are required to do in order to get back to the start. The warm up ride is wet and cold and blustery and there is a lot of traffic heading into Auburn. Surprisingly, it seems to be just as effective as the more rigorous rituals conducted on the trainer.  Frame and Wheel arrives with ten minutes to spare.

Frame and Wheel sets off and gets up to speed. The rain has stopped but the road is still wet. There is a tailwind on some sections and the terrain has a series of mild downhills. Frame and Wheel gets caught on the wrong side of a short stretch of rumble strip and is forced to ride the strip for a moment in order to get to open road. There are some cracks in the pavement and debris on the road here and there. Frame and Wheel concentrates on form and keeps an eye on the road and the terrain. 

Frame and Wheel is able to push a big gear on the sections where there is a flat or mild downhill and a tailwind. Streams of traffic racing up Route 4 seem to help too. The RPMs are low but gradually increasing. The legs protest, but the heart rate drops. Frame and Wheel soon encounters the only dog in New England that is off its leash and in the vicinity of a bike race. The creature miraculously bounds across Route 4 and cheerily investigates the rider ahead. Frame and Wheel senses that this dog is not an interceptor. Ears perked, the dog sees Frame and Wheel bearing down, but it remains still and off the shoulder. Fortunately, the creature is more intent on enjoying an illicit holiday than chasing bikes on Route 4. 

Frame and Wheel attacks out of the saddle the hill at mile eight. It goes on for half a mile, but there is a big downhill afterwards that allows for some recovery. Frame and Wheel is still not certain that this technique is any faster than staying in the saddle with higher RPMs, but has seen it done with great effect at other time trials. The final four miles of the course are flat and rolling and they are the hardest part of the race. The mind believes that the race will end soon because obstacles like the hill at mile eight usually occur towards the end of the race. Not the case on this course. Frame and Wheel makes one last effort out of the saddle at the line. This time Frame and Wheel can tell that some time was gained. The race is over. Frame and Wheel completes the course with a time of 28:43 which is fast enough to win the coveted apple pies prepared by Amber Waterman (Unfortunately, Frame and Wheel is unable to attend the award ceremony, but hopes that the organizers helped themselves). Frame and Wheel is relieved that the warm down ride can be avoided because on this day the warm down ride will not be very pleasant. Frame and Wheel thanks the Maine Cycling Club for putting on this event and taking the trouble to provide electronic timing and fine tasting prizes, and congratulates all the participants for turning up on such a cold day to race a very tough course.

The Internet of Bikes: Portland Velo Club Tuesday Night Ride / Saturday Morning Ride

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The Portland Velo Club Tuesday Night Ride (TNR) is a 50 mile training ride that occurs on Tuesday nights from April to September starting and finishing at Cyclemania on Federal Street in Portland. The loop features among other things a long grinding climb on Blackstrap Road, a relentless climb up Dutton Road, a steep and not exactly short climb up Depot Road, a long climb on Orchard Road and a fast sprint finish on Route 88 in Falmouth. It is a fast and challenging training ride. For the past two years, the route has been altered to avoid some very rough pavement at Depot Road and instead has included a dirt road section, which has not lessened the challenge of the ride in anyway (and if anything has made it more difficult). Frame and Wheel joined the ride for the first time this year with perhaps twenty other riders and team mates. Conditions were dry and calm with temperatures in the 70s.  Frame and Wheel tracks the ride with an Android smartphone and adds some labels to highlight the key features of the ride. Total distance is 50 miles, total duration is 140 minutes, average moving speed is 22 miles per hour, maximum speed is 41 miles per hour, maximum elevation is 460 feet and total elevation gain is 2,500 feet and maximum grade is 10% (perhaps somewhere on Dutton Hill Road). It was good to be on the ride again.

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Frame and Wheel joined the Portland Velo Club Saturday Morning Ride for the first time since perhaps March, taking advantage of an opening in the race schedule. Conditions were dry and temperatures were in the low 60s. Frame and Wheel estimates that there were between 80 to 100 riders on this ride, and thus the pace was fast all the way through. Frame and Wheel tracked the ride with the Android martphone. Total distance is 48 miles, total duration is 142 minutes, average moving speed is 20 miles per hour, maximum speed is 38 miles per hour, maximum elevation is 67 feet, total elevation gain is 1,717 feet and maximum grade is 6%.

The Internet of Bikes: 2011 Belfast Time Trial (Maine Time Trial Series Race #4)

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The Belfast Time Trial is a 16 mile out and back time trial held on Route One just outside of Belfast, Maine. It is the fourth race in the Maine Time Trial Series. The course features rolling hills, very long sight lines, some tough hills and a glimpse of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. Conditions were dry and calm with temperatures in the 70s. About 50 riders started the race. Frame and Wheel tracked the race with an Android smartphone and added some labels with details about the race. Total duration is 49 minutes (including creeping around the parking lot), total distance is 18 miles, average moving speed is 22 miles per hour, maximum speed is 41 miles per hour, maximum elevation is 124 feet, total elevation gain is 759 feet and maximum grade is 7%.

Frame and Wheel sets out and soon begins to feel the previous day of racing. The first part of the course is a false flat and goes on forever. Frame and Wheel concentrates on staying aerodynamic and not getting bogged down in a big gear. Frame and Wheel tries the technique of shifting down a few gears and attacking the steeper climbs out of the saddle. Recovery from these efforts becomes very hard later in the race. The first respite comes on the big downhill that leads to the turnaround. Frame and Wheel is very slow in the turnaround. The marshals and the police have done a great job of halting traffic, but there are lots of cars and it is Route One.

The return trip is characterized by the climb up to the hill by the over pass. Frame and Wheel attacks out of the saddle on the climb, but suffers badly on the false flat that follows. The terrain is increasingly a mild downhill to the finish and Frame and Wheel tries to push the big gears, but this is very hard to do. Frame and Wheel pushes through one last rise and heads for the finish. Frame and Wheel completes the course with a time of 35: 24, which is fast enough for second place, but well behind a truly inspiring performance by time trial expert Tim Mitchell (CCB Racing), who after a win on Saturday in the 70 mile Lake Auburn Road Race, completes the course in 33:35 and sets a new and surely indelible course record. Paul McMahon completes the course with an impressive time of 36:54, which is fast enough for third place. Frame and Wheel is pleased with the result, given that in 2010, Frame and Wheel suffered a flat and spent some twenty minutes walking along Route One in the rain. Frame and Wheel thanks the Belfast Bicycle Club for putting on and managing a great time trial and congratulates all the participants on their willingness to race a tough course and on their results.

The Internet of Bikes: 2011 Lake Auburn Road Race

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The Lake Auburn Road Race is a road race held in Auburn, Maine. The route is an 11-mile circumnavigation of Taylor Pond (the original course went around Lake Auburn, but when that course was changed a few years ago, the name of the race did not). The course features fast straightaways,  tough gradual climbs with false flats and The Wall, an abrupt but short hill that riders must visit repeatedly. The race is a "home" event for the OA / Cyclemania Masters Cycling Team and thus turnout of OA / Cyclemania riders was high in all categories. Frame and Wheel joined Stuart Abramson and Hank Pfeifle and about 45 other riders in the Pro 123 race racing 70 miles or six times around Taylor Pond. Conditions were dry and calm with temperatures in the 60s.

Frame and Wheel tracked the race on an Android smartphone and put in some labels in the hopes of providing some detail about the course and the event. Frame and Wheel activates the Terrain view on the map so that the viewer can spot the contours of the course. Total duration is about 180 minutes, total distance is 70 miles, average moving speed is 23 miles per hour, maximum speed is 45 miles per hour, total elevation gain is 3,000 feet, maximum elevation is about 500 feet and maximum grade is 11.9% (presumably The Wall).

Frame and Wheel includes the more detailed observations about this race in the labels on the map. The main observation about this race is that it is harder than it appears. This is because the field must repeatedly climb up The Wall, endure the attacks on the downhill sections and hang on for the surges through the other climbs and the false flats. After six laps, the legs are feeling the effort. On the last time up the The Wall, a break forms and soon has 45 seconds. The field chases and then chases hard up the last climbs which shrinks the field to about ten riders. The break is in sight and it has fallen apart, but it is far enough up the road that Tim Mitchell (CCB) solos for the win. The field sprints for the line which is in sight but still a long way off.  Frame and Wheel hangs on for 7th place and is very pleased with the result. Frame and Wheel thanks the Maine Cycling Club for putting on a great event and congratulates team mates Stuart Abramson (12th) and Hank Pfeifle (14th) and the OA / Cyclemania Masters Cycling Team riders in all the categories on their results.

The Internet of Bikes: 2011 Killington Stage Race

The Killington Stage Race is a three day stage race located around Killington, Vermont. The event features a 53 mile circuit race, an 11 mile time trial and a 63 mile road race. The race was revived in 2010 after many years of dormancy and has become a feature of the O/A Masters Cycling Team race calendar. Frame and Wheel joined team mates Ron Bourgoin, Steve Edwards and Neil Fitch and fifty other riders in the 40 plus category. Temperatures were in 70s and conditions were dry. Frame and Wheel tracked the event using an Android smartphone and adds labels to the maps below so that viewers can get a better sense of the race and the terrain.
Frame and Wheel forgot to turn off the smartphone after the circuit race which explains why elevation gain reads 4,340 feet. This highlights another weakness of The Internet of Bikes: it is easy to forget to activate and deactivate the device that is recording the ride.  Also, the smartphone produced a maximum grade of 36% during the circuit race which is clearly nonsense and further evidence of the frailties of GPS tracking technology when it comes to measuring this statistic. Frame and Wheel had some trouble with Google Maps this time around too: for some reason, the program will not show the blue line for the time trial and the road race. Frame and Wheel is still unable to edit the data in My Tracks, but will get to that at some point.

View 2011 Killington Stage Race: Circuit Race in a larger map
Frame and Wheel includes the details of the race in the labels on the map. The main point about this stage is that a group of riders get away at the beginning of the second lap and build a one minute lead on the field. Frame and Wheel and many in the field are not expecting such a move given the wind and relatively flat terrain. A chase group forms on the gradual climb and eventually catches the break at the beginning of the third lap. This group of a dozen riders maintains about a one minute lead on the field, and gradually becomes a group of about seven. The break stays away and the finishers all have a one minute lead on the field. Paul Richard (CCB Racing) wins the day with a high speed sprint, followed by Peter Vollers (Killington Mountain School Cycling Team) and Carl Reglar (Team Danbury Audi/Pedal and Pump). Matt Seton (Rapha/CRCA) pushes through for a fourth place finish followed by Frame and Wheel in fifth place. Frame and Wheel is surprised that a break succeeded in staying away on a stage that usually features a high speed pack finish, but is nevertheless pleased with the result. Frame and Wheel is very tired from some big chase efforts on the gradual climb.

View 2011 Killington Stage Race Time Trial in a larger map
The main point about this stage is that it favors time trial experts such as Jonny Bold (Corner Cycle/Jonny Bold Coaching Service), Joe Tonon (Destination Cycling) and David Gazsi (CycleLogikRacing). A fast time in this stage can put a rider in the pink jersey and shake up the general classification. Frame and Wheel covers the 11 mile stretch in 23:36 which is some 40 seconds faster than  Frame and Wheel's 2010 time, but not fast enough to win the stage, which is won by Jonny Bold (23:30). Nevertheless, it is enough to move into the pink jersey. Frame and Wheel is pleased with the result, but also very aware that had Mr. Bold had better luck in the circuit race, the outcome would have been different. Frame and Wheel is feeling the effort and heads back to the "Point of Return" condominium for some pasta and a round of acupuncture provide by team mate Dr. Steve Edwards.

View 2011 Killington Stage Race Road Stage in a larger map
The main point about the road stage is that it is really two races: there is the 85 km race to the base of East Mountain Road and there is the 5 km race up 15-17% climbs on East Mountain Road to the finish. The stage, which according to the smartphone has a total elevation gain of 6,400 feet, can produce a lot of drama, and this year was no exception. Frame and Wheel covers numerous  attacks at the start to ensure that nothing gets away on the first big climb. The ten mile gradual downhill produces many attacks and finally a break gets away and builds a three minute lead. The pace picks up on the steep climbs on North Road and the field begins to shrink. The pace remains high on the following sections and the chase group is caught on the dirt road section of Prosper Road.
The attacks continue on Route 4.  Finally, Jonny Bold leads a break of about seven riders and with a mounting sense of panic, Frame and Wheel watches them quickly move up the road. The chase car finally passes the field and the break is gone. Frame and Wheel then begins the loneliest ten mile ride of the year: the break is out of sight and no one in the field will take a turn at the front to chase. Frame and Wheel remembers watching this scenario unfold in the Tour de France a few years ago and regrets not making the effort to catch on to the break. There is nothing that can be done except ride tempo, drink plenty of water and get to East Mountain Road.
The field makes the turn on to East Mountain Road and the climbers float to the front. Frame and Wheel matches the pace set by David Gazsi and Carl Reglar. Reglar has a broken spoke on his rear wheel and it is making an awful sound, but he pushes on (Reglar rejects the offer of a new wheel from the SRAM car and eventually the spoke falls out). Frame and Wheel rounds the first bend and the blue flashing lights of the lead vehicle are in plain sight. Frame and Wheel is relieved. The break is shattered and mixed in with riders from a previous category. Frame and Wheel pushes on and soon after realizes that only Reglar is matching the pace. Frame and Wheel hangs on while Reglar surges for the KOM points.
Frame and Wheel and Reglar arrive at the 100 meter mark and sprint for second place. Reglar jumps, but Frame and Wheel is able to counter and sneak ahead in the last few meters and arrives in second place. The race is over. Gerry Clapper (Horst Engineering Masters Cycling Team) wins the stage with a tactically brilliant move on Route 4 followed by a great ride up East Mountain Road, but Clapper is not a threat in  the general classification. Frame and Wheel is in pink again and very pleased with the result.
Frame and Wheel is very thankful for the generosity, the camaraderie and the dedication of the OA/Masters Cycling Team and congratulates all of them on their efforts and results in this race. Frame and Wheel is also very grateful to be able to compete in a category that is characterized by such fine competition.