# Pilarcitos Stage race



## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

April 2-3, 3 stage race.

http://pilarcitos.com/PSR/PSR.htm

Is anyone doing this and has anyone done this before? I'm thinking of doing it and need some advice. 2 time trials....

francois


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## Jed Peters (Feb 4, 2004)

francois said:


> April 2-3, 3 stage race.
> 
> http://pilarcitos.com/PSR/PSR.htm
> 
> ...


That's a fun race from what I hear, Francis. Bummed they don't have a W1/2 category because suzy didn't get selected for redlands (not like she's ready for it, anyway....). 

You should do it. 

PS: Get some clip on aero-bars for the flat TT.


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## jkh (Jul 25, 2004)

*Pilarcitos Equipment*

I'm coming down from OR to do it. It looks like the hill TT is pretty steep in parts. What kind of equipment do people usually use for this (aero wheels, aero bars, etc)?

thanks, jkh


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## Jed Peters (Feb 4, 2004)

jkh said:


> I'm coming down from OR to do it. It looks like the hill TT is pretty steep in parts. What kind of equipment do people usually use for this (aero wheels, aero bars, etc)?
> 
> thanks, jkh


Std. road racing bike, OVER 15 pounds (FRANCIS!)


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## reed (Aug 25, 2003)

*did it last year*

The pilarcitos stage race is a lot of fun. The "hilly" TT is kinda hilly but still has some flat/roller power stuff, so a TT bike or aero bars would help. The flat TT is a power fest, short (<15min) and flat-out. The crit is pretty fun as well. Tom does a great job and has always started on time and posted results promptly. Oh and hopefully he will do the cash pay-out in $2 bills again this year....

Reed


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

jkh said:


> I'm coming down from OR to do it. It looks like the hill TT is pretty steep in parts. What kind of equipment do people usually use for this (aero wheels, aero bars, etc)?
> 
> thanks, jkh


On the uphill time trial folks use their climbing bike and some put clip-on bars. It's about 50 minutes long, 1500 feet of climbing with two climbs and descents.

On the flat time trial, serious guys try to borrow a time trial bike. Most say it really helps to put on aero bars. It is about 7 miles long, 15 minutes.

francois


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## Jed Peters (Feb 4, 2004)

francois said:


> On the uphill time trial folks use their climbing bike and some put clip-on bars. It's about 50 minutes long, 1500 feet of climbing with two climbs and descents.
> 
> On the flat time trial, serious guys try to borrow a time trial bike. Most say it really helps to put on aero bars. It is about 7 miles long, 15 minutes.
> 
> francois


I bet it's hilarious to see the dudes out there in the Cat 5 field with full pinarello, colnago, etc. TT bikes. In that area (penninsula) I'm sure I'm not far off!


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

Jed Peters said:


> I bet it's hilarious to see the dudes out there in the Cat 5 field with full pinarello, colnago, etc. TT bikes. In that area (penninsula) I'm sure I'm not far off!


I heard, there's Cat 5 guys in full skinsuits and full aero equipment, including aero helmet Hey that's life.

But then again, most of the serious guys use aero wheels and aero bars. 

francois


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## jkh (Jul 25, 2004)

francois said:


> I heard, there's Cat 5 guys in full skinsuits and full aero equipment, including aero helmet Hey that's life.
> 
> But then again, most of the serious guys use aero wheels and aero bars.
> 
> francois



Hmm. I'm a Cat 5 guy with a full skinsuit and aero equipment. Is that real bad? I guess maybe I'll see you guys there. 

-jens


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

jkh said:


> Hmm. I'm a Cat 5 guy with a full skinsuit and aero equipment. Is that real bad? I guess maybe I'll see you guys there.
> 
> -jens


Don't mind us, specially Jed. He doesn't even ride.

I'm going to put packing tape over my helmet vent holes. That'll be my aero. I have a skinsuit but it's Colnago and I don't even ride that bike anymore. I think I need to represent in Roadbikereview threads.

francois


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## Jed Peters (Feb 4, 2004)

francois said:


> Don't mind us, specially Jed. He doesn't even ride.


Pfft.

I get out AT LEAST once a week on suzy's recovery day.


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## Creed (Apr 3, 2003)

I went and looked at the link, I can't find a category for anyone under 35. Am I reading it wrong, or did they fill up already/


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

I pre-rode the mountain time-trial course today. Bugger! That was kind of hard. About 17 miles, I averaged 18.23 mph climbing 1500 feet and my time was around 55 minutes. Mid-pack in Cat 5. Hmm...

There are two 700 foot climbs that average about 10%. The steepest part is 12% on the second climb. The road is bumpy and there's some dirt in the road from rockslides in parts. The descents are pretty fast and twisty. I'm not using aero bars.

Oh well, we'll see on Saturday.

francois


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## Jed Peters (Feb 4, 2004)

You're doing it! Congrats man, that'll be awesome!

Good luck.


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## Curdman (Feb 4, 2005)

Thanks for the great info Francois. I am going to be in 35+ cat 5 and am still debating aero bars or not on stage 1. I am going to check it out tomorrow and make my decision then. Sounds like with the decent and steep grades aero bars would be just getting in the way.

Thanks again for putting up your data - very useful.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

Curdman said:


> Thanks for the great info Francois. I am going to be in 35+ cat 5 and am still debating aero bars or not on stage 1. I am going to check it out tomorrow and make my decision then. Sounds like with the decent and steep grades aero bars would be just getting in the way.
> 
> Thanks again for putting up your data - very useful.


I don't think aero bars are a good idea for stage 1. The road is very bumpy and twisty.

If I was very confident using aero bars, I might consider it. But being an aerobars-newbie, the advantage for me would be very slim and the risks high.

Stage 2, I hear is aerobars country. It's pretty much straight with only 300 feet elevation gain in 7 miles.

francois


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## JAishima (Apr 29, 2003)

*Good luck!*



francois said:


> I don't think aero bars are a good idea for stage 1. The road is very bumpy and twisty.
> 
> If I was very confident using aero bars, I might consider it. But being an aerobars-newbie, the advantage for me would be very slim and the risks high.
> 
> ...


Last year, the roads were wet from some mist/rain so aerobars wouldn't have been much help until you got onto Tunitas Creek, I think. Sounds like you're well on your way to smash my 56 min Stage 1 from last year.

For Stage 2, it will take longer than last year if it's not a strong tailwind! Many of us were surprised because the previous year (2003), there had been a headwind and we were expecting similar times.

Crit: lots of sprints out of the 180 hairpin. Ouch!

Good luck and have fun!


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

JAishima said:


> Last year, the roads were wet from some mist/rain so aerobars wouldn't have been much help until you got onto Tunitas Creek, I think. Sounds like you're well on your way to smash my 56 min Stage 1 from last year.
> 
> For Stage 2, it will take longer than last year if it's not a strong tailwind! Many of us were surprised because the previous year (2003), there had been a headwind and we were expecting similar times.
> 
> ...


How far apart are the riders staged on the hill time trial? Where's the best place to park? Is there a chance to warm-up on a trainer?

francois


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## JAishima (Apr 29, 2003)

*Check the race webpages*



francois said:


> How far apart are the riders staged on the hill time trial? Where's the best place to park? Is there a chance to warm-up on a trainer?
> 
> francois


Most of these questions should be answered on the webpage:
http://pilarcitos.com/PSR/Stage1.htm

Also on the stage race page, there are start times for the first stage. You will be escorted as a group to the start, then will have to wait until your turn comes up. For those starting late, you have a couple hundred yards of road to keep warm on.

Definitely bring a trainer to the school to warm up! I didn't have one last year and that probably cost me a couple of minutes, trying to warm up on the hills.


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## jkh (Jul 25, 2004)

*Good to see you guys at the race*

I told you that my handle here was Jens. Whoops. 
Actually, it's jkh.

The 2 TTs were a blast. No way I'm risking my neck
on a Cat 5 crit though, so we're headed back to OR
tomorrow morning.

cheers, Jens


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## Curdman (Feb 4, 2005)

It was nice talking to your yesterday after your second win. I have some podium pics if you are interested. I can send them up to you.

There was only one crash in the 35+ Cat 5 crit today! Right in front of me of course. Otherwise it was a blast.

I ended up in 18th place and my team mate got 6th in GC.

Scott


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

jkh said:


> I told you that my handle here was Jens. Whoops.
> Actually, it's jkh.
> 
> The 2 TTs were a blast. No way I'm risking my neck
> ...


Hey Jens, good to meet you. Your Saturday racing was a towering achievement. You are Cat 5 only in license. Your performance is Cat 1!

Your 14:15 run in Stage 2 I think was the 4rth best time of the day... all categories included! Your hillclimb TT of 47 minutes is amazing as well.

The last couple of years, this race was written up in cyclingnews.com. Hopefully, they do it again this year and you'll get some coverage.

francois


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

Race report!!

Good news, I hit my goals... low 50s in the uphill TT, under 17 in the flat TT. Bad news, everyone else got faster. My results:

1st stage:
18 51:26.8 134 Francis Cebedo roadbikereview.com 4:07
out of 46 riders

2nd stage:
24 16:30.3 134 Francis Cebedo roadbikereview.com 2:15
out of 41 riders.

The first stage was key. 1500 feet of climbing and some nice descents would be a good test for me. I pre-rode the course at hard effort at 55:30 minutes and I knew I had to try a lot harder to get closer to 50 minutes and a possible top 10. Everything went well except I couldn't catch anyone. All riders were staged at 30 second intervals. Halfway through the race I felt like quitting. That's normal and I got through it ok. On the last climb of Lobitos Creek, I finally saw five riders in front of me. I passed 4 guys, and 2 passed me. I exchanged position with one guy a couple of times. Finish line came pretty quickly I was very happy about my 51:26 time. Average was 19.1 mph and I felt pretty good.

The results came out I was 18th out of 46. In previous years, this time would have been good for Top 5. But not this year. Everyone is faster. Unbelievable! Hey, at least none of the women beat me.

The second stage was 7 miles with a 300 foot climb.There was a nice tailwind. My heartrate monitor stopped working and I had to just keep ticking the pedals at about 22 mph. The hill kicked up and my speed dropped to 15 mph. Luckily, it peaked and it was twisty descending to the finish. My time was 16:30 which would have been top 7 in previous years but not today. I'm happy though as I'm normally weak on the flats. The ride back to the car was brutal with a 20mph headwind on highway 1.

Lessons learned are:
- I gotta try a lot harder as the competition is tough!
- On stage 2, I should expend most of my energy on the first half since most of the 2nd half is downhill.
- Use aero bars. I didn't use them. They help a lot in both stages.

On Sunday, I didn't do the third stage crit as I had family commitments. Great saturday though. I got to know my buds pretty well and shared a lot of laughs with Red, Dave and Ludin. I wanted to beat Red's time (cat 4) but he is getting in better shape every week and put in a blistering 49:27 on Stage 1. I met Jens(jkh) from roadbikereview. We'll just call him Jens Voight cause he is a cycling beast! Frank from Fox Shox was there and raced with me. I met Josh, Gregg, Brian, Ben from Webcor and Kurt from Reno. Everyone was incredibly friendly and every one is/was a mountain biker (so we shared a few stories). Great meeting Patrick too who towed me home through the wind after both stages.

francois


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## jkh (Jul 25, 2004)

Curdman said:


> It was nice talking to your yesterday after your second win. I have some podium pics if you are interested. I can send them up to you.
> 
> There was only one crash in the 35+ Cat 5 crit today! Right in front of me of course. Otherwise it was a blast.
> 
> ...


Thanks Scott. Send 'em to [email protected]. I hope you didn't go down in the
crash. One day I'm going race a crit. I'll show up in body armor and hope that I
don't get DQed for it.  

-- Jens


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## jkh (Jul 25, 2004)

francois said:


> Hey Jens, good to meet you. Your Saturday racing was a towering achievement. You are Cat 5 only in license. Your performance is Cat 1!
> 
> Your 14:15 run in Stage 2 I think was the 4rth best time of the day... all categories included! Your hillclimb TT of 47 minutes is amazing as well.
> 
> ...


Thanks Francis. Great to meet you too. Next time I'm down there, I'll
let you know so we can hook up for a ride or two. 

I'm still a little puzzled that I did relatively better in the flatter tt, since
climbing is really my strength. Best I can tell, not knowing the course
cost me a lot more on stage #1 than on #2. I was pounding the pedals 
at all the wrong times and taking the downhills real slow.


-- Jens


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## frank02 (Jun 27, 2002)

*PCR report*

It was good to see you out there! I might be off a little but that feather you were riding seemed pretty light  I guess anything is light compared to 62cm bike! The courses and event managment was great and I had an excellent time.

Stage 1 ..I sucked! Old Clydesdale MTB'rs don't make good road climbers!
Time was 54:37.8 for 32nd/46 and 3:11 slower than Francois 

Stage 2...much better! I felt pretty good on this stage, but it was over too quick.
Time was 16:03.0 for 15th/41 and :27.3 faster than Francois 

Stage 3 Crit...pretty fun, nasty headwind on the front stretch. 
Finished 13th/21

overall GC points 16th place

Frank



francois said:


> Race report!!
> 
> Good news, I hit my goals... low 50s in the uphill TT, under 17 in the flat TT. Bad news, everyone else got faster. My results:
> 
> ...


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## Curdman (Feb 4, 2005)

Hey Frank

My wife was trying out a new camera at the crit. She got some OK shots of you. If you have any interest I can send the files your way...

Scott
18th place GC


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## JoshBikes (Apr 6, 2005)

francois said:


> Race report!!
> 
> Good news, I hit my goals... low 50s in the uphill TT, under 17 in the flat TT. Bad news, everyone else got faster. My results:
> 
> ...


Francois,

It was good to meet you at Pilarcitos. That was a really fun race and the first TT's that I competed in.

Josh


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