xXx Racing teammate Matt O'Keefe has started a website/blog featuring videos captured from the digital camera he has mounted to the handlebars of his bike.
www.xxxracingaction.com
It's a great place to go for bird's eye views of attacks, bridges, sprints, and paceline work from the vantage point of a Cat 3 racer with years of experience. Feel free to comment and expect Matt to write back soon with his response to you observation or question.
Of course, in the interest of full-disclosure this promotion is also a shameless opportunity for me to post the first ever vid of me riding. The video below is from last Sunday's Judson Ride. Judson is a group ride, open to anybody who can keep up, and is complete anarchy. It's a good way to practice jumping on a wheel, working your way up in a pack, not to mention several chances to sprint along it's 50+ mile route.
"Why didn't somebody tell me my ass was so big?!?"
Judson Ride - Everett - video powered by Metacafe
We are traveling west on Everett Road, in a somewhat together paceline, approaching the I-290 overpass about 5 miles west of Highland Park. At about 35 seconds, you can briefly see me as I begin my bridge attempt to reach the breakaway group in front of the main pack. At that point I was going maybe 29-30mph. Notice how fast a train forms behind me and the pack begins to string out. Then Matt's bike begins to rock back and forth. At this point, it seemed like I had been going for at least a minute, but not even close. My match was already burning out and Matt must have sensed it as the newly reformed paceline began slowing down. It definitely slowed way down once I saw him pass me with a new train of riders on his wheel.
He not only reaches the breakaway much faster than I was going to, he passes them for some King of the Hill points and surely a sense of self-satisfaction.
Lesson learned? While it's good to use rides like this to practice your bridging and jumps, even more valuable is learning to be at the ready for someone to give you the leadout, and find a wheel with which to take to points or the victory.
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