The Tour of the Catskills is a three day stage race located around the upstate New York towns of Windham, Hunter and Tannersville. The event features a 12 mile time trial, a 65-mile "Devil's Kitchen" stage and a 60 mile epic mountain stage. The event is in its third year and is already established as one of the more difficult stage races in the region. The event does not feature prominently on the race calendar of the OA / Cyclemania Masters Cycling team calendar because it is a long drive and there are other events closer to home. Frame and Wheel has family in nearby Germantown, New York and thus is able to formulate excellent reasons for participating in this event. Frame and Wheel entered the 40 plus category along with fifty or so other riders.
Frame and Wheel tracked the event with and Android smartphone and posts the details of the race in the labels embedded in the maps. Although the Android worked fine (it was kept dry) and produced believable data, the process of putting in labels in the maps is pretty granular and time consuming for Frame and Wheel, and perhaps quite boring for the reader, if there are any. Additionally, Google My Tracks is sometimes erratic; it can be difficult to place the labels and to save the map that has the labels as well as the tracks. Frame and Wheel is unable to make progress on a fix for this. This highlights another weakness of The Internet of Bikes: a fair amount of time is required to manage, review, edit and share the data originated. Frame and Wheel recently observed that Garmin technology produces similar results more quickly and easily than the current arrangement and will investigate that further.
View 2011 Tour of the Catskills Time Trial in a larger map
Frame and Wheel sets out at 3:29:00 pm after a lighter than usual warm up (Frame and Wheel is exploring recent assertions that warming up less vigorously results in a better ability to sustain power. So far, it seems to be working). The start gate is loud with music and the announcer and it is difficult to hear the officials calling up numbers. Frame and Wheel is relieved to get going and be away from the noise. The road is smooth and the wind is light and the temperatures are cool at the start. A young shirtless father is pushing a stroller with an infant in it along the shoulder and in the direct path of the race. This breaks Frame and Wheel's concentration for a moment (Frame and Wheel has encountered obstacles such as ducks, rabbits, squirrels and dogs during time trials, but never before has Frame and Wheel encountered a parent with infant). Frame and Wheel feels very good and catches the 30 second man on the hill before the turnaround. Frame and Wheel is cautious on the turnaround and sacrifices some time in order to make a smooth and controlled turn. There are skid marks on the road near the cone from previous riders. Frame and Wheel catches two riders on the way back and has a third in sight, but is unable to close the gap before the turns begin. It has quickly become very hot and Frame and Wheel realizes that a short sleeve skin suit would have been a good choice. Frame and Wheel pushes hard up the final climb, losing some momentum on some gravel on the road, and completes the race with a time of 25:26. This is eight seconds off the winning time set by time-trial specialist Jonny Bold (Corner Cycle / Jonny Bold Coaching Services), but good enough for second place. Frame and Wheel obtains the King of the Mountain jersey for the effort and joins Mr. Bold for a podium ceremony attended primarily by the announcer. Frame and Wheel is pleased with the result and ready for recovery.
View 2011 Tour of the Catskills Stage 2 in a larger map
Stage 2 begins in Tannersville and the field sets out at 9:30am. The pace is brisk up Scribner Hollow road as riders position for the fast descent that follows. Carl Reglar (Verge Sport) is a strong King of the Mountain (KOM) candidate and attacks repeatedly on the following sections. Frame and Wheel is lured into defending this distinctive jersey and counters these efforts in the hopes of breaking Frame and Wheel's long standing tradition of being King of the Mountain for a day. Frame and Wheel bridges up to a break that is going for the first KOM finish. This is a big effort. Max Lippolis (Team Danbury Audi/Pedal&Pump) takes the first KOM points and hands the scraps to Frame and Wheel and Dan Staffo (The Handlebar Company). Frame and Wheel and two other riders have open road for most of the following descent that is very fast. The field catches up and then whole field blows by the correct turn, which is unattended by marshals and thus unnoticed by the pace car. The moto neutralizes the race and the filed turns around and gets back on course.
The race grinds along rolling hills and some steep ones and eventually arrives on the flats of Route 32. A seven man break forms and is soon out of sight. Frame and Wheel is doing more work than intended and is feeling the effort. The Devil's Kitchen climb arrives and Frame and Wheel locks on to the wheel of the worryingly fresh-looking Erin Kroff (CRCA/Axis). The compact gears are doing a great service and Frame and Wheel is able to spin nicely (the front wheel occasionally lifts off the ground which is an indicator of the steepness of the pitch and the torque obtainable from a 34 x 28). The climb is relentless and very steep and Mr. Kroff is keeping the pace very high. Frame and Wheel is approaching the maximum limits very quickly. Frame and Wheel gets through the switchback, but cracks on the rise that follows. Jonny Bold and David Taylor (CRCA/Fluoriclasse Racing - Discover Chiropractic) seem to float by effortlessly.
Frame and Wheel is wobbly and dizzy and makes a supreme effort to catch on to the nearest wheel. A chase group forms and Frame and Wheel hangs on through the remaining rolling hills. Frame and Wheel finishes in seventh place and is now two minutes back from the new race leader, Dan Staffo, who is has turned in a legendary performance. Frame and Wheel is very tired and knows that energy management was not so fine today. Frame and Wheel also knows that were it not for the compact, the time loss would have been much greater. Some data from the Android: maximum speed is 52 miles per hour, total elevation gain is 5,286 feet, maximum grade is 29% (somewhere in the Devil's Kitchen if this measure is accurate), maximum elevation is 2,274 feet. Please see the map for all the data.
The race grinds along rolling hills and some steep ones and eventually arrives on the flats of Route 32. A seven man break forms and is soon out of sight. Frame and Wheel is doing more work than intended and is feeling the effort. The Devil's Kitchen climb arrives and Frame and Wheel locks on to the wheel of the worryingly fresh-looking Erin Kroff (CRCA/Axis). The compact gears are doing a great service and Frame and Wheel is able to spin nicely (the front wheel occasionally lifts off the ground which is an indicator of the steepness of the pitch and the torque obtainable from a 34 x 28). The climb is relentless and very steep and Mr. Kroff is keeping the pace very high. Frame and Wheel is approaching the maximum limits very quickly. Frame and Wheel gets through the switchback, but cracks on the rise that follows. Jonny Bold and David Taylor (CRCA/Fluoriclasse Racing - Discover Chiropractic) seem to float by effortlessly.
Frame and Wheel is wobbly and dizzy and makes a supreme effort to catch on to the nearest wheel. A chase group forms and Frame and Wheel hangs on through the remaining rolling hills. Frame and Wheel finishes in seventh place and is now two minutes back from the new race leader, Dan Staffo, who is has turned in a legendary performance. Frame and Wheel is very tired and knows that energy management was not so fine today. Frame and Wheel also knows that were it not for the compact, the time loss would have been much greater. Some data from the Android: maximum speed is 52 miles per hour, total elevation gain is 5,286 feet, maximum grade is 29% (somewhere in the Devil's Kitchen if this measure is accurate), maximum elevation is 2,274 feet. Please see the map for all the data.
View 2011 Tour of the Catskills Stage 3 in a larger map
Stage 3 begins in Windham and the field starts out at 9:30 am. Frame and Wheel had a nice cold bath, plenty of sleep and a good dinner, but is nevertheless feeling very tired. The priority is on conserving energy today. Frame and Wheel believes that many in the field are not aware of the steepness of the second KOM climb and thus plans on conserving energy for that climb. The race descends Route 23 through the mist to the valley below. The course twists and turns and after awhile arrives at the climb out of Durham to the first KOM finish. The pace picks up and the field begins to stretch. The temperature is also much warmer. The climb continues and the pace remains steady. There is a final surge at the KOM finish and for a moment the field is in two. Frame and Wheel concentrates on staying in contact with the lead elements of the field and manages to do so.
The race negotiates the fast descents which this year do not include horses or horse trailers. The pace picks up again at the old KOM section and the field once again breaks up, only to regroup on the following descent. The field races through the Platteville and the pace picks up again on the flat section leading up to Route 23c. Frame and Wheel is fully fueled with food and drink and moves to the front.
The steepness of the climb takes many by surprise. Frame and Wheel deploys the lowest gear (34 x 28) and is thus able to keep up with Dan Staffo, David Taylor and Erin Kroff without detonating the system. Other riders are in trouble here and struggling to turn over the pedals. The decisive break forms.
The four man breakaway works together to hold of a chase group that is not far behind and in sight. A short and sharp hill on Route 23 breaks the resolve of the chase group and the four riders are away for good. The break enters the final climb to the finish as a group and the sprint is on: it is Staffo, Taylor, Frame and Wheel and Kroff. The race is over. Frame and Wheel is very pleased with the day's effort and has moved up to fourth place in the general classification. The result is testimony to how a not so fine day can be followed by a great day in this sport and it is an improvement over the sixth place finish in 2010. Frame and Wheel thanks the organizers for putting on such a great race and is very grateful to be able to compete in a category that is characterized by such fine competition.
Some key data from the Android on this stage for what it is worth: maximum speed is 48 miles per hour, total elevation gain is 5,906 feet, maximum grade is 14 percent and maximum elevation is 2,170 feet. Please see the map for all the data.
Stage 3 podium
No comments:
Post a Comment