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Stages
Stage 1: An uphill, 3.8 mile time trial. The course actually starts out on a slight downhill
for about ½ mile before turning uphill for the next 3+ miles at an average gradient of
about 7%. This stage was originally a 5.4 mile climb, but earlier rains closed the top part
of Glendora Mountain Rd, causing the stage to be shortened to 3.8 miles.
This is a beautiful climb up a steep, green canyon with spectacular views (which you get
to enjoy on the way down!). Pavement is excellent. Parking/warm-up area is fairly small,
but since TT starts are spread out over the entire day, it works out pretty well.
Stage 2: A road race on a rolling 7 mile loop. Nearly the entire course is through a local
park, and at least one lane of the road, and often both lanes, were closed to traffic. The
start/finish is on a long, very slight uphill. The course then turns slightly downhill into a
90 degree turn, skirts a golf course, then turns into the park. The next mile and a half is
generally uphill, followed by a steep, non-technical descent. 2.5 miles of rollers bring
you into a downhill, high speed S turn and the base of the KOM climb - a stiff ½ mile
climb (average grade ~8%). The descent is even steeper, with a fairly tight right
sweeping right hand bend toward the bottom, followed by a sharp left that takes you back
to the slight uphill grind to the start finish. Women's 3,4 rode 5 laps (35 miles); men's
45+ rode 8 laps (56 miles). KOM bonus points were awarded on all even laps (except the
last lap), and sprint bonuses were awarded at the finish line on all odd laps (except the
first lap).
Stage 3: A criterium in downtown San Dimas. This L shaped course features a slight
downhill start/finish, followed by a high speed right turn where the course turns slightly
uphill. Another quick right turn followed by a left brings you to the long, slightly uphill
"back straight". At the top of this climb, a couple of right hand turns brings you to an
equally long descent to a high speed right turn, returning to the start/finish straightaway.
The women's 3,4 race was 25 minutes, the men's 45+ race was 40 minutes. A sprint
bonus was awarded halfway through each race.
Race Report
Stage 1: After overnight rains, we arrived at the TT course on Friday amid overcast,
threatening skies. The forecast was for rain starting late morning; my start time was
10:45am. I took an easy ½ hour spin around the very pretty neighborhoods of Glendora
to loosen up the legs after the 6 hour trip the day before, then got on the trainer and did
my normal 45 minute TT warm-up. The warm-up was solid, but nothing special. I got to
the start line about 5 minutes before my start time and lined up.
Thanks to a tip from Rene Lucas, I shifted into the big chain ring prior to the TT start.
The road up to the start line was a very steep climb, and I noticed everybody else was
starting in their small chain rings, in pretty big cogs in the back. Again thanks to Rene, I
planned to hammer the descent as fast as I could - the climb was only 3.8 miles, so I
should have plenty left.
The strategy paid off quickly - I caught the racer that started 30 seconds in front of me
before the road even turned uphill. My heart rate had leaped to 180+ in the first ½ mile,
but that should be doable for the 15 - 20 minutes the TT should take. When I hit the
climb I shifted into the small chain ring, but kept the pressure on the pedals. I passed
three more racers on my way to the top, and almost caught another before crossing the
line in 16:00 - good for 4th place, an excellent start to the weekend. I was 38 seconds out
of the lead, but only 6 seconds off the podium. In addition, I got 10 points towards the
KOM jersey (the leader got 25).
Stage 2: It rained all Friday afternoon, and all night Friday night. The forecast was for
clouds in the morning (my start time was 8:00), followed by rain late morning. We were
greeted by a soaking wet course, clouds, and a fine mist on a 47 degree morning. None
of which made any difference as the men's 45+ field took off at a sprint and set a
blistering pace for the first two laps. My strategy was to remain near the front of the
peleton, and try to bag some KOM points. I had no illusions of winning any sprint points
unless I could break away from the field.
The pace for the first 2 laps meant nobody was getting away. I was able to stay in the top
5 or 10 racers, but the pace on the KOM climb was brutal, and I was lucky to not get
gapped at the top. This power climb was not my strength, so I gave up on the KOM
points (no time bonuses anyway), and tried to make sure I was in the front group. I
figured this pace would shatter the peloton, and I didn't want to be caught in the rear
group trying to bridge up.
Sure enough, when I checked the pack after the first lap nearly half the group looked to
be missing. Lap 2 was just as hard, but lap 3 was a little easier. Of course, we had an all
out sprint for time bonuses at the end of the lap. I hung in with the lead group, and after
the sprint the pace backed way down. One rider counter-attacked; no response from the
peloton. Another rider bridged up; still no response. What the hell - I took off to bridge
up. Of course, the whole peloton followed. Oh well.
The pressure was back on lap 4 as riders tried to get away to bag KOM points. By now I
was just interested in not losing any time, so I worked to bridge a couple of gaps. Lap 5
still saw riders trying to get away, presumably for the time bonus sprint. The rest of the
race was a blur - with a KOM or sprint bonus every lap, the attacks were non-stop. I
struggled to maintain my position near the front; my legs were starting to tire and I knew
if I started the KOM climb from the back I'd get dropped. I survived laps 6 and 7, and
was about 7th or 8th wheel on lap 8 when the group exploded up the last climb. I passed a
couple of riders up the hill, but obviously rode too hard. My legs locked up with about
200 yards to go, I got passed by 3 or 4 more riders, and a gap opened up. At the summit,
I was in a second group of 3 or 4, chasing a lead group of 8 or 9. We flew down the
descent, and I went to the front for one last chance to close the gap. We got within about
50 yards, and I was tying up as help arrived. I spent everything I had left just to catch the
group flying by, but we were really close to catching back on. Then, for some unknown
reason (I don't know what the team situation was; I was just trying to hang on), the
leaders of our chase group sat up and let the front group get away. I tried to get around to
chase on, but it was all over. I finished in the second group, giving up 16 seconds to the
lead group, plus whatever time bonuses had been collected along the way.
GC: Over half the field finished 4+ minutes behind or DNF'd, effectively ending their
race for GC. I dropped from 4th to 6th place, but still in the money (8 place payout). I was
2 seconds out of 5th, and 20 seconds up on 7th. Unfortunately, only the criterium was left -
my weakest event. The good news was there were only 2 time bonuses available, so I
hoped to be able to defend my 6th place by staying with the lead pack.
Stage 3: Finally, a somewhat sunny, dry day. Although there were overnight rains, the
sun partially came out and the pavement was dry at race time. I tried my normal TT/crit
warm-up, but after two days of high intensity racing my body was having none of it - I
couldn't get my HR above zone 2. But I wasn't too worried; that's normal for me in a
stage race, and I knew everybody would be tired. I spun easy for about an hour then rode
to the start line to stage. I wanted to start in front; I anticipated another shelling of the
rear of the peloton, and didn't want to get caught back there.
Sure enough, the first couple laps were scorching fast. Surprisingly enough, my legs felt
pretty good. I stayed in the top 5 or 10 riders, and the pace slackened for the next few
laps. That cost me some position, as it is tougher to stay near the front when the pace
goes down (unless you want to - god forbid - actually lead). When we hit the halfway
mark (20 minutes), the next lap was a time bonus lap, and the pace went crazy fast again.
Fearing a split, I went into the wind on the uphill and worked my way to the front 5
racers or so, then tucked in and drafted the big boys down the hill and through the sprint.
I was still in the front group
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However, instead of pressing their advantage, the sprinters seemed satisfied with the
sprint bonus and backed off. The group came back together and the pace remained
relatively sane until the final lap. Again, I moved up on the climb into about 7th or 8th
place. I got boxed in on the descent and lost probably 10 or 15 spots. I sprinted out of
the corner and (yes, Art, it's true!) passed a handful of riders towards the finish. No gaps -
we all got the same time.
Final GC: I finished in 5th place, 2 seconds out of 4th place, 20 seconds up on 6th
place. I missed the podium by 20 seconds, and finished 1:14 off the lead. I can't be
sure, but I think I was the first Arizona finisher (Don Williams in 14th, 2:21 back).
Stage Race Summary/Lessons Learned
This was an excellent race. There were problems with the chip timing, so the results were
delayed, which was a minor annoyance, but shouldn't be a permanent problem. The TT
course is great, and I would anticipate in the future it will be longer than the rain
shortened 3.8 miles. The road race course is one of the best I've ever done; it's never
boring, the course is closed to traffic, and it's very fair - there are rollers, a steep, short
climb, and a long, flat sprint. Even the criterium (which I usually hate) was fun. The
gradual climb gave people a chance to try to get away, and the pavement was pretty good,
and the turns were plenty wide. I would recommend this stage race to almost anyone.
However, if you are a poor climber, you're probably going for stage results after the first
day's TT.
Logistics. We stayed at the host hotel, which (for unknown reasons) was too far from
any of the courses to ride to the race. There are multiple hotels right by the host bike
shop which would allow you to easily ride to at least the RR and Crit, and maybe the TT.
I would recommend those instead (Motel 6, Extended Stay America, and one other I
forget about). The restaurants are better at that location also.
-Craig Long
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San Dimas Stage Race 2005
Day One:
Uphill TT. Had a decent warm up and then lined up to start. Craig had told me Rene’s
advice about being in the big chain and from the elevation chart, I expected a much longer
downhill at the start than it actually was. I hammered down the hill (don’t really think “I” needed to
be in the big ring – all you guys probably would want it, though) and much quicker than I expected
the rode cured a bit into switchbacks. I never felt like I could get into a nice steady pace and
contrary to what Craig said – I actually observed the beautiful scenery ON THE WAY UP. This
gives you an idea where my head was at race-wise. I got passed by 2 girls but almost caught up
to one by the finish. Didn’t feel good about my effort and ended up 50th out of 59th.
Day Two: Road Race. This course is a blast. I was feeling a bit better this morning despite the
constant overnight rain and drizzle that greeted us at the start. Trina and I lined up in pretty good
position and were able to stay with the lead pack thru about a ½ lap. We dropped off a bit then,
but were still with a pretty good group. I was feeling pretty good on the KOM climb, but our group
pretty much stayed together on through the start/finish line. Trina mentioned her “brush” with the
suicidal squirrel which made things a bit sporty on a screaming downhill on lap 3. He just missed
my front wheel and ran straight into her path – good bike handling saved her going down. Just
into lap 4, I took a long pull on a false flat into the wind. Bad idea (I didn’t think it was that long at
the time). I dropped back to get back in the pace line, and just kept dropping back, as I saw the
group pull ahead of me. Ended up riding the rest of the race “All by myself” (for those of you who
don’t know – this is my theme song for racing ). I was convince I was DFL and just decided to
make it a training ride for the rest of the race. Turns out, we had dropped several girls earlier so I
wasn’t the last one in. I think I was 49th out for 56 this day.
Day three: Crit. Didn’t have a good warm up. I couldn’t get my HR above Z2 and although they
didn’t feel that bad while just spinning, there was no intensity in my legs. We got to the staging
area and Trina and I didn’t get a very good position to start with. When the whistle blew, I had
trouble clipping in and ended up sprinting dead out to catch back onto the pack. The course is a
pretty fun crit course, but there are several short straight aways followed by quick corners. Since
I was at the back of the pack, it was SPRINT, BRAKE, SPRINT, BRAKE, SPRINT, BRAKE –
pretty tiring on already tired legs and boy were they complaining. It was all I could do to stay on
and didn’t have a chance to move up to try to make it a bit smoother. On lap 2 (yes – only 2), I
gapped a bit from the pack on the slight uphill and the legs decided they didn’t want to push
anymore. I dropped back and could only think of the Starbucks that was near the start/finish.
After rolling down the last downhill, I decided to bag the race at the start/finish. I decided I’d
rather have a DNF than a DFL…
Overall, though, I think this is a GREAT race and despite my dismal results, I had a great time.
I’d definitely like to go back next year when I’m feeling a bit better and do it again. Since it’s a
national race calendar race, it was really fun to see all the pro teams (men and women) and their
entourages. The mechanics for those teams really earn what little they get paid. They were out
every night till the wee hours of the morning working on the team bikes rain or shine… Definitely
worth the drive to San Dimas.
-Marty Long
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San Dimas was so fun! I rode out there with Jen Stern - she coaches
with Jeff Lockwood and rides for Kenda, so it was neat to "interview"
her and be around another female cyclist.
I lost my Polar watch on the way out there...I just don't know what I
did with it. We left early Thurs so we set out to do an easy ride to
the TT start, but it was farther and hilly-er than we thought and ended
up doing a 2 hour ride. It was an easy ride with the exception of two
big hills (and I was on a 23). I started the weekend "out of sorts" as
my grandma would say.
TT - Since I didn't have my HR to warm up by, I'm not sure how it went,
but I didn't have a full hour because my race wheel with the 25 flatted
on the trainer. Luckily there was a nice mechanic nearby that changed
cassettes for me. I felt pretty good during the TT/HC, but it was
weird not having a watch to gauge my time or a HR to guage my effort.
I completed it in 22 minutes and some change. (3.8 miles) I didn't
have a complete "post race feeling" afterwards with the exception of my
butt being tight. I'm glad I didn't have my 27 to bail out to. :)
It's possible that I put a bigger effort into it since I couldn't see
my HR. :) 47 out of 59 = bottom 20%
RR - Cold and wet! The group stayed together until the KOM (the 200 m
climb) on the first lap. Marty and I settled into a good sized group
of about 10 until the middle of the 3rd lap when she blew up after a
good pull along with others. I stayed with 2 others and picked a
couple up along the way. One of which sat in the whole time and
sprinted past us at the end (for 35th place!). Anyway, the first lap
burned in my legs so bad, but then I settled in. Again with no HR, I
can't objectively say how hard it was, but subjectively, I still felt
pretty good and felt like I gave a good effort. Each time up KOM was
harder, but I never got discouraged (a first for me in RR's!) I even
survived a squirrel running into my bottom bracket and rolling over
him! 5 laps for a total of 35 miles. Very fun course! 48 out of 59
= bottom 20%
My travel buddy got sick and wanted to go home - The Longs took me in
and gave me a ride home!
CR - I felt so yucky in my warm up. (I went to dinner and a movie with
my sister-in-law and didn't get to bed until 11. Million Dollar Baby
was SO GOOD - and long). Anyway, Marty was saying she couldn't get her
HR up and was concerned, so it's probably a great thing I didn't have
my HR. My only concern was the size of the field. I started great
(i.e. was able to get into my pedals - ha ha) and it took 3 laps to get
used to riding with so many people. It was kind of scary but I found a
sweet spot on the outside mid-pack. I'd fall a little back each time
up the slight hill (nothing like Yuma) and was wondering how much
longer I could take this when they said 4 laps to go! (25 mins is
nothing!!!) So, I hung on and on the last lap, I wasn't in good
position going in to the last corner, but probably a good thing since
there was a wreck! I missed it, but had to slow down and manuver
around girls that wanted to see if everyone was ok (that's women for
you!) and at the finish there was another wreck but I wasn't anywhere
near it. What could have been...
23 out of 59 = top 40% !
Fun, fun, fun race! It did a lot for my motivation!
What I learned:
- It's much more fun to suffer with others.
- Always take your "just in case" bike gear (I didn't and needed to buy
warm gloves and knee warmers).
- I'm not racing with my HR monitor anymore.
- Roll with the punches.
-Trina Dolman
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