Some Great Cat 6 Racing This Morning: 7/28 Race Recap

[Tim Kelley]

In case you were wondering what “Cat 6” racing is, here’s the background.

So this morning I was just enjoying the weather, minding my own business on the ride into work. Then in Clarendon near the metro station a middle aged guy on a red road bike in khakis with one leg rolled up, and a polo shirt pulled up quite close beside me at the stop light. And then he was off in a sprint when the light changed.

Fine. I’ll let him go. He must be in a hurry to get somewhere.

Then as I am coming up by Whole Foods, I hear an “On your left” as I get passed in the bike lane by an orange jersey/ tight bike shorts rider who looks like he’s sweating quite a bit.

Wow, that’s two in a row. Glad to see everyone out on their bikes this morning. The BikeArlington outreach must really be working!

Then as I am coming up near Courthouse, another MAMIL speeds by me. He’s on a shiny black commuter with flat handlebars and skinny road tires and suddenly it’s on!

Well, I’m on a mountain bike…and I know I’m wearing flip-flops….and I do have an empty baby seat on the back of the bike…but being passed three times in 3 minutes is too much!

The first guy in Khakis is out of sight, but I know he has a few stop lights up ahead that may work to my advantage. Orange jersey blows the light before Courthouse while Number 3 waits patiently. I coast in behind him and punch it while rounding the corner and swing past him just as the light changes. I can see that Khakis and Orange Jersey are through the next stoplight by the metro station, but will have to wait at Courthouse Road for the light to change because there is always car traffic there.

The light goes green and they are off. I still have some momentum built up and swing in to draft behind a minivan on the downhill to Rhodes Street. I pass Orange Jersey and take the lane with my head down and shift into my biggest gear. The road is clear and I see Khakis up ahead so I really lay down the power–even though I don’t have a Powertap on this bike, I’m probably putting out 1000+ watts for a stretch of a few seconds here.

I pull up neck and neck with him and look over just as he starts to fade. I can see the imaginary finish line of Pierce Street where I have to turn off for my building up ahead, and I know I’ve won the Clarendon-Rosslyn Cat 6 race!

So…that being said. Was that any of you wonderful Forum users that I saw out there today?

And remember, it’s not a race until it becomes one.

Topic

[Tim Kelley]

@Dirt 6545 wrote:

Hmmmmmmmmm

Makes me think of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgbphXbqOgY

[Dirt]

@Tim Kelley 6546 wrote:

Makes me think of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgbphXbqOgY

Welcome to my world.

[OneEighth]

@Dirt 6545 wrote:

Hmmmmmmmmm

He’ll do it, too…
Not sure about recognition signals, but I’ll be leaving DC at 5PM on a red fixie with white tires and bar tape and a big black backpack heading South on the MVT (at approx. 5:15PM)and then West on 4 Mile Run and the W&OD.
I wouldn’t mind some fast company.

[Dirt]

@OneEighth 6549 wrote:

He’ll do it, too…
Not sure about recognition signals, but I’ll be leaving DC at 5PM on a red fixie with white tires and bar tape and a big black backpack heading South on the MVT (at approx. 5:15PM)and then West on 4 Mile Run and the W&OD.
I wouldn’t mind some fast company.

My affinity for pink things with wheels makes me pretty identifiable. As for the ride invite…. With any luck I’ll be about an hour ahead of you, sir… and I think I’m going to play on the hills along Custis.

[OneEighth]

Bummer. Another time then.
Open invite to anyone else.

[eminva]

@Tim Kelley 6544 wrote:

That’s a great calculator.

As a weekend/recreational rider I’m a simple 0, but can go as high as a 15 as a commuter (with the norm being a 12) and that doesn’t even take the flip flops into account!

Tim, if you’ve got the child seat now, it is only going to get worse. I think they’ve been discontinued, but I used to have a Burley Piccolo when my son was young. It’s a brand of trailer cycle. We rode that to his school, I disconnected it and locked it up at his school, dropped him off and continued my commute downtown. I would pick it up on the way home (my husband having already picked up the kid on foot or in car).

Which is how my son earned his 2007 Bike to Work Day t-shirt.

Liz

[Tim Kelley]

@eminva 6552 wrote:

Tim, if you’ve got the child seat now, it is only going to get worse. I think they’ve been discontinued, but I used to have a Burley Piccolo when my son was young. It’s a brand of trailer cycle. We rode that to his school, I disconnected it and locked it up at his school, dropped him off and continued my commute downtown. I would pick it up on the way home (my husband having already picked up the kid on foot or in car).

Which is how my son earned his 2007 Bike to Work Day t-shirt.

Liz

We’ve got a Cougar Chariot, which converts into a jogging stroller as well. It even does hiking and cross country skiing. The problem is when it is connected to the bike it is too long to manage in the condo elevator.

It mostly comes out for jogging during the week or for family rides around Arlington ending at Mario’s for soft-serve. It also evens out the playing field pretty well–I’m working pretty hard on the MTB to keep up with the wife on her road bike.

[americancyclo]

@OneEighth 6551 wrote:

Bummer. Another time then.
Open invite to anyone else.

I’d love to SCR! That’s a bit out of my way though, as I need to get out to Falls Church on the W&OD. I’m usually found along the Custis. Been splitting my exits from DC either by Penn/Virginia Ave/Roosevelt, or straight down Independance to Arlington Memorial. Not so much that way recently, since that crash video

[OneEighth]

I use the Custis quite a bit, too. It all depends on how much time I’ve got for riding. Today, I can afford to take the long way home.
See you out there some time.

[SteveTheTech]

I lol’d for a while when I read your OP Tim. Nice recap. I was scratching my head at first Cat6….I then proceeded to get lost in sidebar links (wtf with canadian winter cyclists?) for an hour. Sounds like a fun ride.

I keep the reflective leg band around my seatpost. I have yet to run into anyone who said anything but I’m sure I’ve passed and been passed by a few members (or lurkers at least) on the wod during the weekends.

[JimF22003]

Whew! From the title I was afraid this would be a story about me and the guy on a mountain bike with a backpack who was “racing” me this morning between Falls Church and Gallows Road. Guy did NOT like it that I slowly pulled past him at one point, so he was racing to stay ahead of me.

I could have told him he didn’t have to try so hard. He would have beat me without expending so much effort

[txgoonie]

@SteveTheTech 6560 wrote:

I keep the reflective leg band around my seatpost.

That’s actually a cool idea. Or perhaps a reflective sticker of some kind?

My helmet makes it so my ponytail hangs quite prominently out of it, so I’m a prime target. Just can’t let an uphill pass by a girl go uncontested. Boys. :rolleyes:

[consularrider]

@OneEighth 6558 wrote:

I use the Custis quite a bit, too. It all depends on how much time I’ve got for riding. Today, I can afford to take the long way home.
See you out there some time.

I’ve gotten used to having you blow by me this week on 4 Mile Run. I’ll try and remember to say hi next time.

[OneEighth]

@consularrider 6583 wrote:

I’ve gotten used to having you blow by me this week on 4 Mile Run. I’ll try and remember to say hi next time.

Please do.
…and, please tell me that I’ve remembered to be courteous and call out my passes…

[consularrider]

And then some of us are just plain OFIL.

[Author]

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