A few sketches

A few photo's from the race.

Race number...and a small palindrome.

Cat. 5 field lined up at the start

Starting the second lap, pretending I just won the race

On the final climb, I don't remember seeing anyone with a
camera so I don't quite know where this was.

Blacksburg Cycling Classic Road Race

Last Sunday was the road race in the Blacksburg Cycling Classic, an Omnium event put on by Rouges Racing that consisted of a Criterium, Time Trial, and Road Race. I didn't participate in either the Criterium or the Time Trial, but I did race in the cat. 5 road race, and it was an eventful day.

Woke up at 6:30 and got out on the road with Garrett by 7:30 to drive to the start. We got to the start at 8 (an hour earlier) so we could warm up a little and get our one day licenses and sign in.

The race started at 9 and the course was 2 laps of a 15 mile loop and a finishing climb of about 3 steep miles and a little extra to get to the climb so around 34 miles in all. The route is below if you want to take a closer look. I found a new mapping site that lets to move along the profile and see the exact elevation and a little bike rides around the course to show you were you are. It is pretty cool. You can also use street view and there is a switch back about a half a mile from the end that you should look at to see the gradient.

At 9, Garrett and I were at the start line in the middle of the group of around 30 riders. Once the race started we decided the middle wasn't for us and moved to the back. The reason, at least for me, that I went to the back was because I knew I couldn't be at the front pacing so I figured I could hang on to the back and just observe in my first race. It was a pretty high pace going along the first stretch (probably around 25 mph), but then came the first little "bump" of the course. A little hill on the connecting road that shattered the group we had going.

This is were it is not good to be at the back of a group. When a split happens (like what happened on that hill) and you are at the back it is a lot harder to fight through the people falling off and reconnect with the front than it is to just stay connected since you are already at the front with the stronger riders.

But anyway, the group got split into the lead group of probably around 8 riders and a chase group of about 5. I started going hard, trying to fight my way to the chase. I eventually picked up another rider and we took turns on the front trying to get in contact with the chase but this was around mile 13 and the high pace took its toll and I fell off.

I held a high tempo until the first lap ended and averaged 21.6 mph for those 15 miles, which is really good for me. I then slowed it down and and did the next lap with Garrett and our pace after 30 miles dropped down to 17.4 but I wasn't too worried because I wanted to have some legs left for that final climb.

The climb up Johns Creek Mountain was brutal, but I passed a couple riders (including at least two sitting on the side of the road). There is almost no place that is remotely flat (to me) that gave my legs a rest and it has one intense switchback about half a mile from the finish. I finally made it to the top in 26 place with a time of 2 hours and 7 minutes and Garrett finished in 28 about 5 minutes behind. And as a side note we saw racers walking their bikes up the hill when we were going back down it.

I didn't win but I did finish my first ever road race (and wasn't last) and that was a win for me.

Bike route 624560 - powered by Bikemap

"Spirited Tuesday Ride"

Two days ago a ride was sent out over the NRVBA listserv about a "spirited Tuesday ride" at about an 18 mile an hour pace. Since the NRVBA is not the VT cycling club, I decided maybe it would be more enjoyable than Wednesday Worlds and I went to meet up with who ever might show up at the Blacksburg Rec Center. The route is below with the Regroup points as 1, 2, and 3.

For the first two legs there were 5 of us. Nothing major to say, I kept up for a while and then someone would try to ride off, 3 would go and 2 (myself and another rider) would try but inevitably fail at keeping up. 

For the Mt. Tabor leg I ended at the regroup point 4 of 5 and my legs were already feeling it. We regrouped and started the Catabwa leg. 5 miles into it another acceleration happened and I finished 5 of 5 for that leg. We regrouped again and now was the final climb. A 2.5ish mile long trek up Cedar Run after about 4.5 on Lusters Gate. I had low expectations of staying with the group, but I gave it my all. 

For this leg there was only 4 of us and at about half a mile into it the group split and I was somehow in the first group with a guy I figured would eventually ride away. But as it happened I rode by him on the climb and finished at the top in first. Not too far ahead of the others but far enough it felt good.

I'll call it the first of many wins to come this "season".

On a side note I'm pretty sure two of the guys I was riding with were over 50, one was over 40 and the guy who did 2/3's of the ride with us was over 30. So I was definitely the youngest of the group and those guys burned me on the first two legs...I need to get into better form.

Wednesday Worlds. Week 2.

This was the week to stay with the group for a good amount of the time. But that didn't happen.

As normal the ride started from Bollo's and this week was the Mount Tabor Loop (the map of the ride is at the bottom). We did our group ride out to about mile 4 on the map and that is when we split up. Now, this time the ride to the start was at an easier pace than last week and once the B group started it was at a pace I could keep up with. I actually made it to the front of the pace line for a hot second.

So we were cruising along in our pace line. I'm new to this, but it seemed like a pretty sloppy pace line. We were running a line along edge the of the road that seemed to be doing the pace setting and there was a second line to the left that seemed people would just ride into whenever they felt like it. Instead of using that line to rotate to the back once they had their pull at the front. But who knows. Now I ended up at the back after my pull and got back into the pace line and we went down this little hill around mile 8 that had a little turn to the left. This is were I was dropped.

I don't know if I wasn't paying attention or what but the guy right in front of me braked a little fast (I say this because the person he was behind started to pull away and obviously was not braking as hard) and I went to his left to try and avoid hitting his wheel. I did this rather fast and lost my balance a little and rocked almost hitting a rider beside me. Luckily, by his skill or mine (I'll assume it was his) he avoided me and I hit the pavement. There was a guy behind me too but he avoided also and I was the only one down, which I am glad about because I did not want to be that guy that nobody knows but starts taking riders out because it's his second time out.

So I hit the ground, basically like someone pushed me over with my feet in the pedals. A few tiny cuts on my elbow and a scrape on my knee and all is well. The group rides off and I get up and walk to the side and inspect myself. All is good and I wait for a minute and watch the 3 A's pass. One of them asks if I'm alright (which was surprising to me for some reason) I said I am and they ride by.

I hop back on the bike, deciding I came knowing I would probably end up riding solo (this was just sooner then I had hoped) but so be it. I ended up seeing two riders coming at me that got dropped and turned around or just couldn't stay out for the length of the ride and I caught up to one guy who turned early to get to Catabwa.

So I get to Catabwa turning off Sandy Ridge to head back to town after an hour of riding over 17 ish miles. I decide I want to push it a little and try to do the next 10 miles in under 30 minutes (I did it in 29 minutes and some seconds).

I start off and the rain starts. Not a lot in the beginning but a few consistent drops. Stays that way for about 5 miles and then the steady rain starts and it stays that way until I get home about 30 minutes later. And I don't know if you know this but riding downhill at 30 mph rain starts to sting a little.

I stopped at the church right before the Harding climb to have a drink and rest for a minute and a guy was loading his bike onto his car in the parking lot. He asked if I wanted a ride to the top (at this point I was so soaked that it looked and felt like I had jumped in a pool with my bike) but I declined and finished out strong with a 17 mph average and did the 32 miles in 1 hour and 51 minutes.

So in the end I road solo across the line, in dead last, but at least I finished.

Mountains of Misery

Here are three photo's I took while I was on my way to my starting place for driving during the Mountains of Misery Ride.

I drove SAG (Support and Gear) for the ride. I started driving at 7 and ended at 5, it was a long day but really fun seeing all the cyclists and driving some back to the start or to the mechanic to get a fix. But anyway, here are some photo's from the pre 7 AM hours. These might be some of the first landscape photo's I actually really like.

Wednesday Worlds. Week 1.

I'm going to call this week a "scout mission". I don't want to deceive you, I had every intention of staying with the B group until the end. But then we started.

We rolled out from Bollo's at 6 PM, between 15 and 20 strong I would say. I tagged onto the back thinking I would take it easy and see how the ride went. Well the only time I got to "take it easy" was when the group got stopped by a flagger because they were repaving Cedar Run.

Once we got past that hold up we went down Cedar Run and took a left onto Luster's Gate. During these miles I felt pretty comfortable, the group was holding a solid pace (to me), maybe around 23 mph and I was sitting near the back. Then we got to the end of Luster's Gate.

Now usually at the end of Luster's a slower "B group" rides off and the faster "A group" waits a minute or so until they start the chase. Apparently not enough A riders showed and we all turned right onto Catabwa. This is where the fast riding began (I think due to the A riders setting the pace). I don't know what the B pace is since this was my first week but I'm guessing it doesn't hover near 30 mph that I'm pretty sure they were doing while I slide off the back.

I got dropped within the first two miles of the "racing" portion of the 20+ miles they had planned for the day, but I wasn't alone. There were two other riders with me and together we went on for another 4 or 5 miles keeping a steady pace alternating lead, But eventually one of the guys fell off the back of our chase (I'm calling it a chase because it makes me feel better). That is when the pace between the two of us slowed and we talked about the normal happenings of the ride and other things until we saw the group again.

The group usually regroups at Sandy Ridge but they must have had enough waiting and we saw them coming towards us on the road maybe half a mile from the regroup point. Here comes the rookie mistake.

Dave (I think was the guys name) said that we should just make a U turn and get on the end of the group. Seemed like a good idea, except that I went too far as the group passed and was 50 yards off the end of the main group once I had made my turn and despite my best efforts could not rejoin, Dave on the other hand got on. So I finished the last 13 miles of the ride solo.

Overall though it was fun to do and it wasn't like it was a bad day for a ride anyway. Blue skies and around 70 with hardly any humidity.

Time to start the serious training so maybe next week I can hold out for 3 miles.

IM Champion Shirt Design

Tee Shirt for Intramural Sports champion's to wear at Virginia Tech. I like the front (right) but the back is just nothing. I think I have been working on this too long and thinking too hard...

Fire!

Last night around 2:30 am a fire somehow started in the dumpster of an apartment complex behind my house. Here are a couple photo's.

Empty Bowls

This is the first photo essay I have done for the Collegiate Times and it got me a job as a layout designer! I took all the photos and did the layout.

Chain

Macro image of the chain and rear cassette of my bike.

Passage

Door

From the District

These photo's along with the next few posts are from Washington DC and the surrounding areas. These two are from a building at 300 New Jersey Avenue NW designed by Richard Rogers.

Pottery

Two photographs from an assignment I took today. These bowls are going into an Empty Bowls Fundraiser to raise money that will go towards Haiti. They are hoping for over 500 bowls in total (I think) for the event. It will be sometime March 26 so keep an ear out.

Blacksburg Fork and Cork Tee Shirt Design

This is my first go at the shirt design competition for the Blacksburg Fork and Cork (www.blacksburgforkandcork.com). Submissions are due the 15th of March and the winner gets 100 dollars and 4 tickets to the event.

Blacksburg High School Roof Collapse

Blacksburg High School Roof Collapse
Originally uploaded by mmcdermott18

I went back the next day and got a little closer.

Blacksburg High School Roof Collapse

Blacksburg High School Roof Collapse
Originally uploaded by mmcdermott18

Love Your Body Poster

This is a poster for the the Now Foundation's Love Your Body poster competition.

Been a while...

I thought this was kind of cute at the VT v. Clemson basketball game.

Also I am slowly but surely completing my website (www.mwmcdermott.com) so go check it out.

Snow, Ice, and Water

Roots Jam Session Logos...Round 2

Another one to show.

Roots Jam Session Logos

A few logo's for the Roots Jam Session Logo Contest ( http://www.okayplayer.com/rootsjamsession/ )

Hopefully a few more will get added over the next few days. The contest ends on the 7th.