Salida Road Race

On Friday, Em and I drove southwest of Denver to Salida for their annual Omnium cycling weekend. Because the race takes place in the middle of Ironman Wisconsin training, I decided to race in the 72-mile road race on Saturday, but not the TT on Friday or the Crit on Sunday.

Salida is a three hour drive from Boulder and sits in the valley with twelve 14,000-foot peaks surrounding the town. With the race start at 8am on Saturday, Em and I decided to drive down on Friday night. It was a last minute decision as a 3:30AM departure on Saturday AM didn't sound too appealing so all hotels in Salida were booked out. We ended up staying 12-miles up Monarch Pass at the Monarch Mtn Lodge with a bunch of other racers too. This was also a pet friendly hotel so Thor and Izzy made the car drive too.



With all the mountains surrounding town, I don't think it was very difficult for the race organizers to find a course route with lots of climbing! For the Cat 3 men, the race consisted of a long, six mile neutral rollout from downtown Salida and then six loops of a challenging 12-mile circuit. The circuit consisted of a very steep, but short uphill climb, a series of low grade climbs, steep and technical descents, a stretch of flat road and a false flat uphill. It was an excellent mix and altogether added up to over 10,000-feet of climbing and was very tough.



There were the usual suspects on the starting line, a list of proven climbers and strong riders including; Nate Llerandi (Feedback), Todd Robertson (Skins), Ben Buxton (Feedback), Jason Alexander (Vitamin), Jayson Middlemiss (Mafia) and a few younger guys. It was going to be a hard race but not one where a selection was made as soon as I thought. The first two laps of the course caused a selection on the steep climbs but the group continued to come back together on the flatter section. A rider from the Primal/HART team went solo from the group on the third lap and stayed away for the nearly two laps as the main group was disorganized and didn't work very well together. Unfortunately, it was right at this point Nate flatted and couldn't quite chase back on to the group.



The fifth lap caused a selection in the group and whittled the group down to ten riders. It remained intact until the final run up the steep climb. One rider broke clear on the climb and left the rest of the selection behind while he soloed alone to the win. I led the remaining five riders up the gradual incline for the next mile. The group was happy to sit on my wheel and eventhough I tried to swing off to coax other riders into taking a turn at pulling, the group was happy to soft pedal if it meant not going to the front. This is where I fail as a bike rider and cannot stand these tactics at the end of races. Instead of coming to a standstill, I tried three or four more times to put in a higher effort in order to further break the group apart. In the final 200 meters Jason and Jayson burst out of pack and sprinted for 2nd and 3rd and then 100 meters later Todd and another Primal/HART rider outsprinted me for 4th and 5th places. I ended up 6th.



I will try a few more road races including Niwot Crit, Koppenberg Circuit and Steamboat Springs Stage Race in the lead up to IM Wisconsin in an effort to earn enough points to upgrade to Cat 2 and also to get some good cycling miles and efforts in my legs for the 112-mile Madison course.

Special thanks to Em for driving the whole way to Monarch Friday night while I tried to provide the entertainment. She also drove over half of the way home. I think it was the most she has ever driven with me also in the car!

Safe Riding,
LF

This week belongs to the ___________

shark week on Disco channel...can't wait!

mt evans hill climb

today was the third time i've raced the mt. evan's hill climb. this is one of the gems on the colorado cycling scene and the best climbers in the state are always on the starting line. the pro field even gets some pro tour riders gunning for the record ascent time (currently held by tom danielson from the garmin slipstream team).

the fun begins in idaho springs - a 45 minute drive from boulder - and follows one of the highest elevated paved roads in north america to the mt. evans summit at 14,190 feet. this works out to a 27.4-mile climb (there are a few short lived down turns in the road).

the boys from feedback sports were very motivated to work for former pro triathlete-turned-cyclist nate llerandi. they set the pace for the low gradient false flats over the first seven miles and by the time the first real spikes in road came, all had completed their work except for ben buxton, who took over and set a strong pace for the next seven miles.

at the halfway point at echo lake, the road turns right past the ranger station and the next two miles are steep roads. i moved to the front and pushed at the highest tempo i could without going into the red zone. after two miles on the front, i'd had enough and peeled off to see the group had whittled down from fifteen down to seven riders.

i was consistent the rest of the ride and always welcomed the short downhill portions to recover just a tad. the final five miles after summit lake were difficult but the roads featured short straightaways and lots of switchbacks. over these final few miles the summit always appears so close, but the riding goes and goes and goes.

stuck in no mans land up the switchbacks, i kept a strong tempo going and crossed the line in 8th place, happy with the effort after taking a break from the bike after the dead dog classic race. it was also an improvement of five minutes over my previous race times, but times are highly variable depending on the pace in the early seven miles of the race as well as the weather conditions. today the pace was brisk at the beginning and the temps were cooler with very little wind, so we really had an ideal day for quick times.

congratulations to nate and his feedback sports teammates as i know he's been focusing his season around winning this race. i don't know finishing times, yet, but i'll bet he threw down a fast one today.

next up is to continue getting some base mileage in both the running and cycling in preparation for ironman wisconsin on september 13th. for full results from the hill climb, go to www.bicyclerace.com

cheers,
lf

picnic pic

This was after a big racing weekend for Matty (far left) and Leon (second left) who raced at Lifetime Fitness and Boulder Peak Tri.

Leon has lived with Em and I during the last two summers to escape the Melbourne, Australia winter and race in our North American season. He's going to San Francisco for the Vineman 70.3 race this weekend.

Em and I will go Mt Evans tomorrow for the annual 27-mile hill climb. It's a solid two-hour uphill effort.

Former Ole teammate retires from baseball

I played baseball with Charlie for two years at St. Olaf College (he was a sophomore when I graduated) and he was by far the most dominating pitcher in our conference. Congratulations on a great career Charlie. You completed what most every ball player can only dream of doing! - LF

Most Decorated Saints Pitcher, Ruud, Retires

ST. PAUL, MN (July 13, 2009) – Fans root for the underdog and it’s no surprise that 5’10”, 160 lb. St. Paul Saints pitcher Charlie Ruud was a fan favorite during his five-year career. On Monday, the hurler who earned his Masters of Divinity and wants to become a minister, retired from baseball.

The 27-year-old Ruud ends his Saints career as the most decorated pitcher in the team’s illustrious 17-year history. Ruud retires as the all-time leader in wins (36), strikeouts (300), games started (72), innings pitched (458.0) and complete games (9).

Originally from Cannon Falls, MN, Ruud’s storied career began out of nowhere during a tryout camp in 2005. He so impressed manager George Tsamis that the right-hander out of St. Olaf College was called upon late in the season to make an emergency start. He hurled a complete game 7.0 innings in game two of a doubleheader, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits while striking out five to earn his first win as a Saint. The rest of his career would take the same route.

"It was always an honor and thrill to take the field as a professional ballplayer. I'm deeply sad it will end, but I'm greatly thankful to the Saints organization, all the Saints' faithful, and especially George Tsamis and Jason Verdugo for having confidence in me and giving me the chance to do it over the last four years. It's probably the best one-day contract anybody in my circumstances could have hoped for."

In his first full season with the Saints, 2006, Ruud was dominant, tossing at least 5.0 innings in 19 of 20 starts and 7.0 innings in ten of those outings. He finished the season second in the American Association in games started (20), third in complete games (3), and fourth in innings pitched (132.0) and strikeouts (96). He helped pitch the Saints to a North Division Title as he put the Saints up 2-1 winning game three going 7.1 innings pitched allowing just a pair of runs while earning the victory. In the American Association Championship series Ruud won game two going six innings allowing just two runs, allowing the Saints to even the series.

In 2007, Rudd was again an innings-eater for the Saints. He lasted at least 5.0 innings in all 20 starts and 7.0 innings in nine of those 20 starts. From July 15 through August 21 he won six consecutive starts and struck out a career high 11 on August 15 at Sioux City. He finished first in the American Association in innings pitched (138.2), strikeouts (110), second in shutouts (2), wins (11), games started and third in complete games (4).

The 2008 season was highlighted when Ruud set the all-time Saints win mark on June 20 against the Sioux Falls Canaries with win number 27. The man he surpassed, Mike Meyer, was in the opposing dugout as the pitching coach of the Canaries. On July 22, he pitched in front of the home crowd in St. Paul at the All-Star Game and hurled 2.0 perfect innings.

This season, Rudd surpassed the all-time strikeouts mark on June 25 against the Canaries striking out Jared Lemieux in the third inning. The strikeout was number 292 of his career. In 13 games this season (12 starts), Ruud was 4-3 with a 4.72 ERA.

“Charlie Ruud is, and always will be, a true Saint,” said Tsamis. “He is one of the toughest players that has ever put on a uniform for us and has done an excellent job during his career. He is one great kid and it really is a sad day.”

Ruud was a standout with the St. Olaf Oles and a four-time all-MIAC selection. He went 27-10 with a 2.38 ERA in four years. During his sophomore season he was named the league’s Pitcher of the Year.

The Saints offered Ruud a coaching position with the team, which he is mulling over with his family. During the 2008 off-season, Ruud earned his Masters of Divinity allowing him to fulfill his dream of becoming a minister. In March, he and his wife Becky celebrated the birth of their first child, Lucy.

Dead Dog Classic

This past weekend Emmy and I drove up to Laramie, Wyoming for a two day, three stage cycling race. It is always fun to have a cycling specific block of training and racing during the racing season, especially since it lets me think like a single sport athlete for a short period of time. Unfortunately, it is a bit more difficult to actually perform up to the standards of these single sport athletes though!

Stage 1 - 86-miles

This race started in Albany, Wyoming (20 miles out of Laramie) at 8,400-feet. We rolled out 7 miles down to 7,500-feet before starting the climbing for the day. The first climb from Centennial gained 2,400-feet over 9 miles. There were no fireworks on this climb since it came fairly early in the race and we would have to retrace our steps in a few hours on the return trip. The group did shed the weaker climbers but stayed together with a group of 20-30 riders at the top of the Snowy Range Pass at 10,800-feet. Our race descended to Ryan Park at 8,400-feet which served as the turnaround for the race. The action started immediately on the climb back up Snowy Range Pass. I positioned myself behind former pro triathlete, and pint-sized climber, Nate Llerandi and he led a blistering tempo that quickly shattered the group.

Despite dropping a bit off the pace twice on the climb back up to the summit of the pass, I managed to claw myself back into the lead group on the sections of the climb that leveled out. At the summit, we were down to 12 or 13 riders and we were onto a fast descent back down the 9-miles. I led the group down the mountain and once back onto the flats, a rider in the group said we maxed out at 61 mph!

Over the rolling hills during the final 11 miles of riding, we caught a breakaway rider and dropped a few others from the group leaving only 10 of us to battle it out for the stage. I had suffered a few times throughout the ride with leg cramps and could sense I wouldn't have the strength to contest for the stage win. At one point during the final 5 miles, Llerandi took a pull next to me and I told him if his legs felt good that he should go for it and I would work as his "teammate" and attempt to block and chase any pursuers. He felt good and went for it and the rest of the group took the bait, let Llerandi ride off the front, and let me continue to set the pace all the way until the final 1km to go sign.

The final 1km was uphill and I was immediately off the back of the group as they had been sitting back in preparation for the finale. I finished the stage in 10th, :49 seconds behind Llerandi, who held on by 4 seconds to win the stage! It felt good to play a role in his win but even better to see the strongest rider on the day actually win the stage. In cycling, often times that doesn't happen.

Stage 2 - 40 minute Crit

The legs were soft on Sunday, but luckily the Cat 3's didn't start racing until noon, so Em and I had time to lounge around and play with Thor and Izzy who also made the trip with us.



The crit was uneventful, a quick pace but very clean on a non-technical course. I stayed out of trouble in the front of the group and just wanted to keep the GC contenders in check, not lose any additional time, and then let the time trial later that afternoon determine the final placing. I ended up finishing the crit in 10th place, being out sprinted by a few riders in the final 100-meters.

Stage 3 - 10 mile Individual Time Trial

This is my strongest form of racing and I am sorry to report I failed to prepare my equipment properly for the race. At Kansas 70.3 two weeks before, I was unable to shift into my two lowest (most resistant) gears on the bike, as my cables had frayed. Well, I didn't have this changed out so I was faced with the same situation again in yesterday's race against the clock. It is billed as a "flat" course, but the first 5 miles are slightly downhill with the return trip being slightly uphill. I rode the flat portions evenly but was forced to tuck and coast instead of risk spinning out on the downhill sections. I acknowledged before the race start this was no ones fault but my own and I tried to race my best with the situation I had. On the brighter side, I think this may have saved some strength in my legs for the return trip. I ended up finishing 5th on the time trial in 23min57sec, compared to the stage winner's 22:37. 2nd, 3rd and 4th were all within one minute. This moved me up to 7th place in the overall GC and good enough to cover our lodging or gas expenses for the trip:)



Next up will be the Steelhead 70.3 in Benton Harbor, MI. That means it is time to get back into the swimming and running routine again.

Cheers,
LF

BBQ

My parents are on their summer vacation visiting from Saudi and Hans and Eli are over from State College, Penn. Rain halted our attempts at a family photo last night but we still hunkered down for a good ol' summer BBQ.