Northfield Criterium (Masters 30 + Cat 4 and 5)

July 4, 2007
Northfield, Minnesota
45 Minutes

I have been dabbling in bike racing this year, and this was to be the culmination of that process. I've done a road race in April, a time trial in May and am actively trying to become a road racer and a triathlete. The process was going pretty well in that I am comfortable on both types of bikes and I felt like I could hold my own with both groups.

While I'd shown myself able to play in the world of triathlon, time trials and road races, criteriums are a different world, one I was not sure I was ready for. Crits have their own physical demands, particularly the ability to go real hard for short periods of time over and over again, and they also require a certain set of skills. Since crits involve a reasonably large number of riders on small courses with lots of turns, they are often pretty risky. Friends teased me as I told them I was doing my first crit in years with questions of medical coverage and how I was going to rehab my collarbone break. So I was apprehensive but excited as I approached this race. It was the center of my thoughts for a number of days before the race.

As I thought about the race to come, I saw two basic scenarios. The optimistic case was for me to hang in the pack for the ride, and for me to slowly drift towards the back as the last laps approached for a safe finish in the bunch. The more realistic view held that I was likely to stay in the pack for awhile, only to eventually get spit out the back. I would continue to work hard, only to lose ground to the field. In this scenario, it depended on when I got popped out the back of the pack whether or not I got to finish the race. Since the entire field is on a small and tight course, USA Cycling rules require that riders about to be lapped get removed from the race. I knew it was a real possibility that I could get removed from the race and have the results list me as "Did Not Finish."

While I dreaded the idea of a DNF as my result, I knew that I had to give it a try. I might not like the result, but showing up in of itself was in many ways my test. Show up I did, in time in fact to watch some earlier races and get in a decent warm up. There is no way to be ready for a crit if you are not pretty comfortable with the course. Most of the time, a rider will get the chance to ride several laps of the course immediately before their race. I did this and what I saw was a little intimidating. This course included at least 4 hard right turns and 1 significant left turn. The left turn was on a slight downhill and included a large hole in the road at the spot in which most people would like to ride. The first turn off the main stretch of the course was a tight right hander that was followed immediately by a short but steep hill. By most standards, this was a hard and technical course. It demanded a lot of a rider.

My son came down to the race with me and he really wanted to serve as official photographer. Below is his picture of me as I rolled up to the line a few minutes beofre the start of the race.

The race itself started just like I thought it would, hard. We took off and everyone was doing what they could to get a good line heading into the corner before the hill. My position was okay, I was near the tail of the field. Being at the back is a double edged sword in many respects. It allows you to see a bit better as you are not surrounded by other riders. The draw back of this position is the accordion effect of changes in pace. Small accelerations in the front of the field get much bigger as they ripple through the field and this makes riding at the back a good bit more demanding. As I hadn't done a crit in awhile, I decided I'd live with the extra work at the back so I would be more comofrtable. I moved along through several laps and things were going okay. I grew more confident in my abilities and was happy that I felt at home in the race. All was going about as well as was possible. Then I made a large mistake.

On the approach to the right turn preceeding the hill, I thought it best to move up the field a bit. The pace at the back was really going up and down more than I wanted. The course was not that tight so it did offer several chances to move up the line of riders but the home stretch was by far the widest and safest place to go. Hard thing was that whole home stretch was on a slight decline and the speeds we hit on this portion of the course were high. I was moving up okay and I thought things were fine until I got into the turn itself. I immediately knew that I'd gone too hot into the corner and would have to slow myself down a good bit to remain safe and upright. So I hit the brakes, pretty hard and lost a lot of speed. This was a major problem because I'd just given up a ton of momentum right before the hill and the field didn't slow a whole lot going up. I immediately lost 10 to 15 yards. This was not looking good.

Immediiately I do what I can to close the gap. I know full well that if I don't get back into the pack, my race is done. So I chase. And I chase and I chase some more. I got within about 5 yards of the rear of the pack but I could not get back in.

Below I am the lone figure chasing the pack, pretty close but still not amidst the safety of its numbers.

I continued my solo chase for several laps. I was not loosing ground but I wasn't gaining any ground either. Then I started to fatigue. I knew immedately that I was going to get pulled from the race if I hadn't caught back on and it was also clear that I was not going to be able to catch the pack. I kept working only to watch my gap to the pack grow.

Here the effort of trying to hold the pack becomes more clear as the gap has grown noticeably. I realize that I've got two choices, neither of which was particularly attractive. One, I could simply just quit as my fate was pretty sealed. The pack was 100 yards up on my and their combined power was far more than I could muster. It was only inevitable that I would not be finishing this race. Two, I could fight on and make the race officials pull me. I opted for the second choice, as I might as well make it a good training day. So I soldiered on, it was strange to keep rolling though the start finish area so far behind the pack. The race officials were using a whistle to tell riders to pull off and for several laps I kept waiting for the whistle as I approached. Part of me was hoping they'd blow it so I could stop. I was working as hard as I could and the effort was not insignificant. I knew that I was doing all I could, and the nausea I was developing made that all the more clear. So I kept at it until I could hear the pace car approaching behind me on the back side of the course. It was only fair and appropriate that I pull off the road so the field could pass by. So I did. It was a strange and uncomfortable feeling to pull off the road to watch the guys roll by me, knowing that I wanted to be there. Oh well, I played the cards I had on the day and they weren't good enough. But at least I'd put my chips on the table.

Post Race

I watched the end of the race and I was really impressed by how fast and hard the guys went. The field stayed largely together and the race ended in a group sprint. I don't know if I could have made it all the way to the end or not. There is no doubt in my mind that the effort I put forth chasing was far higher than I would have done in the field. I'd like to think that if I hadn't have bungled that turn, I could have hung around long enough to have finished the race. But that is neither here nor there. I am both attracted and revolted by this type of race. I really want to finish one but I'm not sure I'm quite strong enough yet. We'll see if I give it another go this summer.

Post Race Power Review

As a power geek, I always find reassurance in the fact that while I may not have had a great race, I captured really useful data. I'd say that was true for this day. You can see the data yourself by clicking here.

When I look at the file, the first thing that is immediately obvious is the huge swings in power that occurred. I was over 800 watts and below 200 watts within seconds of each other multiple times in the first 5 minutes of the race. When I look at these wattage figures, I see a good solid effort. What is interesting is that these values suggest that I could have done more in the race, particularly if I'd had better technique. Its that idea that will likely draw me back to a crit in the near future, that and the fact that I don't like to fail.

See you out there!

January 23

Upcoming Dig It Triathlon and Multisport lecture for the Lakes Area Multisport club on Racing Selection and Season Planning. if you're in Brainerd area on Thursday, January 26, make sure to come. Email Jason for full details.

January 16

The cyclocross racing spectacular contined with Coach Jason in Louisville, KY for the UCI Masters Cyclocross Championships.

It was a great weekend of racing, though some tough conditions and competition had Jason ready to go home and train even harder for next year. Check out the mud on the bike.

Jason post race with his finisher medal (muddy of course), and a lot of the course still on his bike.

January 9

Coach Jason's been doing some cyclocross this fall and "winter." He was in Madison, WI this past weekend for the USA Cycling National Cyclocross Championships. It was a fun and hard weekend, just like cross is suppose to be.

Above is the Dig It kit with pinned number. Always exciting to be putting on a National Championships number.

Above an upward look at one of the uphills on the course, in much better shape than when Jason got to experience it.

Here is the bike on the verge of taking the start. Not the dirt and grime and that's after being pressure washed a few times.

January 1

Dig It Triathlon and Multisport wishes you a Happy New Year. If this the year for athletic improvement, we're here to help.

December 15

Dig It Triathlon and Multisport's Threshold Thursdays (TT) has begun. It's a free, Facebook based workout group dedicated to training bike threshold. Coach Jason analyzes his first TT session in the article below..

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December 12

The 2012 racing season is beckoning. Dig It Triathlon and Multisport and the Buffalo Triathlon are teaming up for a 5 week Introduction to Triathlon Course. Details on the race site at www.tribuff.com/active_training.htm

Coach Jason in action at the Badger Cross in Madison, WI yesterday. With only 4 weeks until cyclocross nationals, it was great chance to check out the course on a day with crazy nice weather (for Wisconsin in mid December).

December 8

The Dig It Triathlon Facebook page is now live at www.facebook/DigItTri

We have a new training group, Threshold Thursdays, starting up. A free workout is presented each week for all who join.

November 21

At Ironman Arizona, Andy has a great race, knocking over 40 minutes from his PR and getting oh so close to a Kona slot in the toughest of AGs.

Coach Jason has a great time at the MN State Cyclocross as well.

November 8

Dig It's Jill rocks the NYC Marathon. Wow, what a month for Jill as she climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and then came home and ran a great marathon. Major props!

Coach Jason had some fun at the VeloCX in MN as well this past weekend.

October 31

Despite a lack of updates on our part, it's been a busy October for Dig It Triathlon and its athletes. Dan had a solid run at the Marine Corp Marathon with a PR, Kathy rocked the Toyota Cup Tri in Dallas, Coach Jason was in Colorado for a coaching conference. Last and certainly not least, Jill and Cliff put their endurance training to a real test and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. Now that's how you celebrate a special event!

To Learn more about Jason's confernece

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October 16

Coach Jason in action at the Cross at the Y in Hudson, Wisconsin today. A fun event. Here Jason gets ready for some cross fun.

October 2

It was great to hear that Dan broke through with his first multisport overall win today at the Half Full Tri in Maryland. Way to go Dan, can't help but love the podiums with Dig It on the top step!

Dig It family also in action at the Twin Cities Marathon, doing our annual 5K time clock volunteer duties.

September 25

The Dig It crew was in action at the Duathlon World Championships in Gijon, Spain today. Rob, Greg and Richard flew their national colors (USA, UK, and USA respectively) for strong races amidst serious competition. Nice work, gentlemen!

Above Rob rocks the run. Below Greg on the bike.

September 18

Coach Jason's cyclocross skills clinic was a big success as we got our CX groves going, and it even rained. Nothing says cross like cool temps and rain.

September 11

In Madison, Eric had a strong debut Ironman with a well balanced swim, bike and run. Way to go Eric!

September 10

As the multisport season wraps down, Rob and Tony showed great running fitness.

September 4

Tony rocked the St. Croix Sprint Tri today, putting a great and fast end on an IM focused year.

August 28

Today was an Ironman kind of day and Dig It's Lindsey was rockin' it in Canada while Keith kicked it hard for a great IM in Kentucky. Way to go crew.

August 28

Dig It's Eric showed his fitness is there for Ironman Wisconsin with a 2nd AG placing at the Lakes Country Triathlon in northern MN one day after racing the Tri 111 event. Wow is all we can say.

August 27

The inaugural Tri 111 in the United States was in Minnesota and Dig It was there with a strong showing. Andy went top 10 overall and Betsy and Eric were showing their fitness off as well. Nice job gang!

August 27

Coach Jason was in action at the Big Ring Flyers TT near Hudson, Wisconsin. It was a great day and Jason had fun while doing his best and getting soundly beaten. Nice way to end the TT season nonetheless.

August 22

It must be a USA Triathlon themed week as Coach Jason's article on bike training into goal races came out in the USA Triathlon Coaches Newsletter and Dig It's Kathy and Dan rocked USAT Age Group Nationals with outstanding performances. Dan earned a berth on the World's team, always a tough ticket and a particularly challenging one this year. Way to go Kathy and Dan.

August 9

Coach Jason taught a transitions skills clinic in Buffalo, MN tonight. It was a fun and useful evening.

August 8

Always fun to wrap up a weekend when athletes reach new highs of performance as Kathy scoring another strong race and an AG win in PA and Andy notched up another win in MN, toping his own course record along the way.

July 17

At the ever competitive Heart of the Lakes Triathlon in Minnesota, Cliff and Jill swelter to AG wins. Nice work!

July 9/10

Across the world, literally, and Dig It athletes are having fun and getting it done.

Above Greg wins his division at a local duathlon in the UK.

Kathy scores an AG podium at the Lifetime Minneapolis Triathlon.

Dan wins his AG with a 4th overall at the DITR in Maryland. In Colorado, Lindsey had fun racing the the Boulder Peak Triathlon even while living at sea level.

July 2

The month might be on its second day but Dig It athletes are already rockin' as Jill scores an AG win at the Minneman Triathlon.

June 27

Dig It's Betsy and Tony had great races at Ironman Couer 'd Alene. Dig It couldn't be prouder of these two as they braved a rough winter here in MN for some great training that carried over to successful races.

June 21

The Nature Valley Grand Prix was a great time with bike racing fun run amuck. Jason's got a report about it and a TT.

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Jason was in action too, as you can see at the Tuesday Night TT.

June 13

Ho hum, another summer weekend, another batch of strong performances from Dig It athletes. Eric, Josh and Tony show their fitness with great races at the Liberty Triathlon, Kathy earns another AG placing at Trinona with her 2nd in the 40-44 AG and Lindsey gets 2nd overall woman and 1st in her AG in Wisconsin. Well actually, weekends like this are never boring! Keep it up Dig It crew.

June 7

Tri season is here and Dig It clients came out swinging. Kathy had a great race in Minnesota at the Buffalo Triathlon, taking minutes off her PRs from last year and Jennifer had a great return to multisport racing in Utah with a strong performance.

June 6-8

Coach Jason in Colorado for coaching meetings with a bit of riding thrown in when possible.

Above Jason poses for a pic in Ward, Colorado a great ride up and out of Boulder. Note interesting decorations in Ward.

May 22

GearWest Duathlon a big success as we had some great performances.

May 21

Coach Jason's clinic at the Land Between the Lakes Triathlon was a success as Jason talked about race execution and various other topics in Albert Lea MN.

Also of note, Dig It clients Rob and Richard officially in for Duathlon Worlds in September. They'll be rocking the Team USA kit in Spain, awesome work dudes!

May 15

Duathlon season in full swin for Dig It crew and the great performances keep coming. In Minnesota, Cliff and Jill won their age groups with Jill 5th overall woman at the Lake Elmo Duathlon and Rob scored his first ever overall podium in Florida while winning his age group too. Nice job gang!

April 30/May 1

Wow, what a weekend! In one of the best weekends of action for the Dig It gang ever, and we're not ones for exaggeration, this weekend will go down as a great one.

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Dig It's Dan pictured below gets ready for his swim.

Coach Jason was in action to at the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico.

Coach Jason above in Dig It kit during day 3 of this stage race, his first. The article below covers the details.

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April 18

On a day for the ages in Boston, Dig It's Jill ran a great Boston Marathon today. Nice work Jill!

April 17

The first of Dig It's bike skills clinics was a big success. We fun and improved bike awareness and riding skills.

Above Jason and Eric pose with some of the orange cone course visible in the background.

April 2/3

Dig It's duathlon racing gang in full swing as Richard shows off the Dig It shorts in Florida and Greg kicks to a great race in the UK.

March 14

Let the racing begin! Dig It's Dan has a great debut duathlon with a 5th place overall and an AG win in Maryland and the MN crew threw down some good runs at the local 10 miler. All in the name of St. Patrick's day. Weekends like this make us proud!

February 4

One of the age old questions regards doing versus teaching. In triathlon, the particulars relate to coaches and their athletic accomplishments. Coach Jason writes about it in his article, "Athletic Success and Coaching, Is there a Connection?

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January 30

The great performances are starting already as Betsy and Richard rocked the Miami Half Marathon today. It was a great way to start the season and we're expecting great things from these and all the Dig It athletes.

November 29

Coach Jason had a roller coaster cyclocross season with some high highs, such as highest placing ever in a bike race and an category upgrade, and some low lights. A good way to think about it was these two images. As the cliche goes, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

November 22

Tony had an impressive race at Ironman Arizona after battling a nasty bug in the last 2 weeks into the race, Tony used his fitness to a PR time, nice work Tony!

October 15

Coach Jason’s thinking about 2011. It’s a time of the year when athletes look back on their racing and make plans for the following year. Jason’s got some thoughts on racing goals and the article, “Is Longer Better?” goes into more details.

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October 10

The multisport season is winding down and the Dig It crew is showing the world how to end a season. After raising her game all fall, Kathy goes to the US Open Championships in Dallas and scores an impressive 2nd place in her AG and top 25 among all the women and she’s only been doing this a year. Watch out 2011!

In Florida, Rob culminated his strong fall run of duathlon performances with his best race yet. Another race, another age group win and top 10 overall but this time he took down “the guy,” you know, the person you try to beat all year. Well, last race of the year and he went down.

October 3

On a glorious fall day, Jill rocked the Twin Cities Marathon and Cliff did the same to the 10 miler. Another fall weekend, another great batch of Dig It performances. While it is routine, it never gets old!

September 12

Ironman Wisconsin this year was a great day for Dig It’s athletes with great weather and inspired performances from Andy, Betsy, Sean and Alex. With determination and joy they swam a long way, rode a long way and ran a long way. Great performances all around. Way to go guys, Coach Jason enjoyed being there and hanging with you as you rocked it!

September 3

The setting for this year’s Duathlon World Championships couldn’t have been better as the event was in Edinburgh, Scotland. Dig It’s Jill and Cliff made the trip and were in action. Jill had a great race and Clifford did his best as he caught a flu bug the day before but hung tough and finished. You don’t go all that way to DNS. Impressive display on both accounts

September 1

Apologies for the lack of updates, we're working on a few look Dig It site with expanded features and educational content.

A short recap of the summer's accomplishments among the Dig It gang includes more PRs than I can recall, numerous world championhip qualifications in duathlon, at the Olympic and half IM distance. Athletes got on the podium for the first time, won races, moved up to the elite field and no matter their place in the field just had a lot of fun using their fitness to the fullest.

The fall's racing looks great as well, watch out Duathlon World Championships, Ironman Wisconsin, and races throughout the country, the Dig It crew is coming and ready to rock and have fun along the way!

April 24

Duathlon Nationals weekend was a success for the Dig It gang.

April 17, 18 and 19

A great start to the racing season for Dig It athletes across the country. Tony gets it done in the Big Easy at the Ironman 70.3 New Orleans, Debi grabs 5th overall woman and first master at a sprint tri in Virginia, the Minnesota gang throws down some great runs at the Trail Mix and last and certainly not least, Jill sets a PR at the Boston Marathon. Wow, this weekend would make many coaches proud for a given year and it's 3 days in April, awesome!

Coach Jason also raced, in green Nature Valley team kit, at the Durand Road Race, photo courtesy of www.skinnyski.com

My report from the 2010 Durand Road Race.

April 13

Dig It now serves as an official coach/dealer for Quarq power meters. Contact Coach Jason for pricing details.

Here is the first order on Coach Jason's bike.

March 27

Dig It's Lindsey has a great day in Oceanside at the California 70.3 to grab her first ever world championshis slot. Way to go, Lindsey!

March 27

Coach Jason leads clinic for GearWest tri club on duathlon performance along with Kevin O'Connor.

March 13-14

Coach Jason was in Texas for a USA Cycling Coaching clinic on teaching bike riding skills. It was great, watch here for an upcoming clinic on bike handling.

Above Jason poses with camp participants outside in the sun, yeah Texas!

December 3, 2010

Coach Jason reflects on training in the off season.

What You Should Versus What You Could Do.

November 22, 2009

Dig It's Dan made his Ironman debut in Tempe at Ironman Arizona. He might have been new at the Ironman distance but Dan was fast and had a great performance. Nice job Dan!

October 3 and 4

Minnesota cyclocross season is underway and rolling. Michael and Coach Jason got their seasons going with some fun and hard racing this weekend.

Michael in action at the Hudson CX. Photo courtesy of skinnyski.com.

Jason at the Planet Bike Orono CX race. Photo courtesy of Seth Iverson Photo.

Jason's Race Report

September 26, 2009

It was a wet and tough day for everyone at the ITU World Short Course Duathlon Championships. Dig It athletes were out to play and did what they could on a challenging course in the midst of a downpour.

Debi is among this group of fast ladies before the skys opened again.

Here Justin Hurd closes in on the transition after a speedy first run.

September 13

Wow, what a day for the Dig It gang. Debi was 12th overall, and 3rd woman, at a sprint tri in Virginia. Maria set a new half marathon PR in Chicago, and Forrest set a 5K PR by over a minute in Kentucky. Oh and then there was Ironman Wisconsin which was the scene of outstanding performances by Andrea, Lindsey and Henry. A successful debut and 2 PRs made it quite the day in Madison. Jason was there to cheer and take it all in.

Here Coach Jason hangs with Andrea after the race.

My reflections on the IM Wisconsin weekend, with a few photos.

May 31, 2009

Dig It's friend Justin Hurd captures the US National Long Course Duathlon Championship today in California at the World's Toughest. National Champ baby, that's a good thing to call one's self!

Photo courtesy of Auburn Events

October 11, 2008

Justin Hurd, who Coach Jason advises, shows shows his strength at IM Hawaii. On a challenging day, for the big island no less, Justin did great in his first attempt at the World Championships as a pro.

September 28, 2008

Jason in racing mode at the ITU World Duathlon Championships in Italy. It was a fun day of action.

Here the bike awaiting its trusted rider.

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September 27, 2008

Jason serves as Assistant Coach with the elite athletes of Team USA at the ITU World Duathlon Championships in Rimini, Italy. It was a fun day filled with great competition for Team USA.

Here is the women's team poses for photos immediately after their finish.

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October 6

Coach Jason wins the inaugural Kickin' Leaves Duathlon in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The new race had a small field but a great course. Hope everyone can make it there next year.

Jason poses with bike and trophy at home after the race.

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