2018 racing stories
05-07-18, 08:11 AM
#351
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Raced 3 times this weekend. First was the Bunny Hop Crit, a .86 mi technical loop on an autonomous car testing course. Last year was the first year using this course and I went off early and got caught with one to go. This year, no one got away. I did the 3/4 first and in a repeat of almost every other race report, I blew it on the technical turns and lost too many positions going into the final and ended up 13/46 after a half hearted sprint. Next up was the 35/45+ open field. Raced together but scored separately. This was just a lot of horsepower and when it came to the finish, the 1's and 2's dominated. I was the first 3 over the line in, wait for it...13th. My coach happened to be there for these races and we talked afterwards. He gave the obvious, but correct feedback that fitness isn't the issue but if I'm going to keep blowing the finish then I need to find another way to win and not worry about placing last if it doesn't work.
So fast forward to today and Ride Sally Ride Crit. I was going to race the 35+ 3/4 and then 3's later and use this weekend as a big training block for A race and stage race in June. The course is a .86 mi 3 corner circuit with a very small rise heading to a turn about 200m from the finish. Rather than timed, the race was 32 laps (20 mi). We started out easy enough and a few laps in 3 guys got about 10 sec on the group. On lap 5 two guys decide to bridge up and no one reacted, so I went too. Gotta find a different way to win. They had closed the gap and started easing up as I got to them and I went straight to the front and put in a big dig to try and keep it going. The gap opened and we were off. By about lap 10, we were 4 and by lap 12 or 13, we were 3. We just kept at it. Soon we had 35 sec (laps were about 1:25) and someone was trying to bridge. We just kept going but then the gap times were getting smaller and we started thinking we were going to get caught. We realized that they were now counting down to us lapping the field. By about lap 20 we could see them and we caught them by lap 26. Two of us went straight to the front to keep out of trouble. It was kind of cool that some of the guys realized who we were and let up get up there. The breakmate that was in front of me went to the front and started pulling with 2 to go. On turn 2 of lap 31, someone hits me from behind and almost pushes me through the corner, but I stayed upright and made it through the corner but not without my heart pounding out of my chest. As we head towards the final turn, the pace really picks up for the field sprint and my breakmates get left behind. I roll across the line with a modest sprint, my first W in ages and my first lapped field. Needless to say, I was cooked and just went home.
So fast forward to today and Ride Sally Ride Crit. I was going to race the 35+ 3/4 and then 3's later and use this weekend as a big training block for A race and stage race in June. The course is a .86 mi 3 corner circuit with a very small rise heading to a turn about 200m from the finish. Rather than timed, the race was 32 laps (20 mi). We started out easy enough and a few laps in 3 guys got about 10 sec on the group. On lap 5 two guys decide to bridge up and no one reacted, so I went too. Gotta find a different way to win. They had closed the gap and started easing up as I got to them and I went straight to the front and put in a big dig to try and keep it going. The gap opened and we were off. By about lap 10, we were 4 and by lap 12 or 13, we were 3. We just kept at it. Soon we had 35 sec (laps were about 1:25) and someone was trying to bridge. We just kept going but then the gap times were getting smaller and we started thinking we were going to get caught. We realized that they were now counting down to us lapping the field. By about lap 20 we could see them and we caught them by lap 26. Two of us went straight to the front to keep out of trouble. It was kind of cool that some of the guys realized who we were and let up get up there. The breakmate that was in front of me went to the front and started pulling with 2 to go. On turn 2 of lap 31, someone hits me from behind and almost pushes me through the corner, but I stayed upright and made it through the corner but not without my heart pounding out of my chest. As we head towards the final turn, the pace really picks up for the field sprint and my breakmates get left behind. I roll across the line with a modest sprint, my first W in ages and my first lapped field. Needless to say, I was cooked and just went home.
05-07-18, 08:23 AM
#352
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HA! Small world. I was looking at our lap times and I think that was key. All but like one were within a 2 second or so range. It was a great group for a random selection. I'm glad you two guys were in it with me.
Last edited by ntnyln; 05-07-18 at 08:28 AM.
05-07-18, 11:46 AM
#353
commu*ist spy
500' elevation
1-2 days of acclamation for the road race (holed up inside a car for 2 days straight before that)
3-4 days of acclamation for the crit (did some spinning the day before to open up the legs, and the road race the day before that)
colorado boulder coach said 3 weeks is the sweet spot
05-07-18, 11:55 AM
#354
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500' elevation
1-2 days of acclamation for the road race (holed up inside a car for 2 days straight before that)
3-4 days of acclamation for the crit (did some spinning the day before to open up the legs, and the road race the day before that)
colorado boulder coach said 3 weeks is the sweet spot
1-2 days of acclamation for the road race (holed up inside a car for 2 days straight before that)
3-4 days of acclamation for the crit (did some spinning the day before to open up the legs, and the road race the day before that)
colorado boulder coach said 3 weeks is the sweet spot
oddly, the effects of elevation do not tend to hit people right away (assuming proper diet, rest, hydration), so if you were to fly in and race in the next 1-2 days, you can sometimes get away with a minimal hit. TBH, 3-4 days is the worst.
however, assuming you drove to the venue, then both your RR & crit were at the worst point in time (including the car ride).
3 weeks is unrealistic. i also find that it doesn't have to take that long.
for reference, i've worked through the effects of elevation quote a bit (though my personal situation is that i live at 6,200 and often travel lower to race, i do work with people who do the opposite).
if you wanted top performance taking whatever training you did prior, i would have advised to either (a) leave later or (b) fly, if at all possible, and race immediately.
here's a bit of good news: when you live at 500', you get to work your body really hard with VO2max efforts & up. yeah, you lose something when you go to elevation, but you are coming from a stronger place. if you live at elevation and race down low, you may get a performance boost, but training over the preceding months (years?) has been taking place at a lower level than it otherwise would be if performed at sea level.
the effects of altitude on aerobic performance are pretty well-documented. assuming you were racing at ~5-6,000' higher than your normal training, you could expect to lose ~10% of power at threshold efforts. You can lose more at higher exertion. This also assumes you did a good job hydrating and resting -- from the car comment it sounds like one could have reason to predict you would do a bit worse than the # i quoted above.
05-07-18, 01:58 PM
#355
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Rosena Ranch Circuit Race Cat 4
Went into this 10 lbs lighter with an FTP 20 watts better than when I did it in 2015 (and finished terribly). Roughly 25 Cat 4s on a 2 mile out and back course with some elevation. Everything went perfect until about halfway in. I just took a pull and was in the back, looked up and a group took off after the turn shattering the field. By the time I realized the 3 guys in front of me didn't have the legs they had about 20 seconds on us. I went after them as hard as I could, pegging my HR for a good 6 minutes. Finally got within 10 feet and I was done, just had nothing left. Then some dude dropped back for a drink and I was able to latch on.
We came into the final lap with about half the field and there was a lot of attacks but nothing stuck. Unfortunately on the final uphill sprint my legs had nothing and I whimpered in about 5 bike lengths back. Somewhere between 7th and 12th. Hopefully its a top ten cus single digits look better in the race history than double =] Since they had no porta potties we didn't stick around for the results.
Went into this 10 lbs lighter with an FTP 20 watts better than when I did it in 2015 (and finished terribly). Roughly 25 Cat 4s on a 2 mile out and back course with some elevation. Everything went perfect until about halfway in. I just took a pull and was in the back, looked up and a group took off after the turn shattering the field. By the time I realized the 3 guys in front of me didn't have the legs they had about 20 seconds on us. I went after them as hard as I could, pegging my HR for a good 6 minutes. Finally got within 10 feet and I was done, just had nothing left. Then some dude dropped back for a drink and I was able to latch on.
We came into the final lap with about half the field and there was a lot of attacks but nothing stuck. Unfortunately on the final uphill sprint my legs had nothing and I whimpered in about 5 bike lengths back. Somewhere between 7th and 12th. Hopefully its a top ten cus single digits look better in the race history than double =] Since they had no porta potties we didn't stick around for the results.
05-07-18, 02:23 PM
#356
**** that
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Rosena Ranch Circuit Race Cat 4
Went into this 10 lbs lighter with an FTP 20 watts better than when I did it in 2015 (and finished terribly). Roughly 25 Cat 4s on a 2 mile out and back course with some elevation. Everything went perfect until about halfway in. I just took a pull and was in the back, looked up and a group took off after the turn shattering the field. By the time I realized the 3 guys in front of me didn't have the legs they had about 20 seconds on us. I went after them as hard as I could, pegging my HR for a good 6 minutes. Finally got within 10 feet and I was done, just had nothing left. Then some dude dropped back for a drink and I was able to latch on.
We came into the final lap with about half the field and there was a lot of attacks but nothing stuck. Unfortunately on the final uphill sprint my legs had nothing and I whimpered in about 5 bike lengths back. Somewhere between 7th and 12th. Hopefully its a top ten cus single digits look better in the race history than double =] Since they had no porta potties we didn't stick around for the results.
Went into this 10 lbs lighter with an FTP 20 watts better than when I did it in 2015 (and finished terribly). Roughly 25 Cat 4s on a 2 mile out and back course with some elevation. Everything went perfect until about halfway in. I just took a pull and was in the back, looked up and a group took off after the turn shattering the field. By the time I realized the 3 guys in front of me didn't have the legs they had about 20 seconds on us. I went after them as hard as I could, pegging my HR for a good 6 minutes. Finally got within 10 feet and I was done, just had nothing left. Then some dude dropped back for a drink and I was able to latch on.
We came into the final lap with about half the field and there was a lot of attacks but nothing stuck. Unfortunately on the final uphill sprint my legs had nothing and I whimpered in about 5 bike lengths back. Somewhere between 7th and 12th. Hopefully its a top ten cus single digits look better in the race history than double =] Since they had no porta potties we didn't stick around for the results.
05-07-18, 02:26 PM
#357
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500' elevation
1-2 days of acclamation for the road race (holed up inside a car for 2 days straight before that)
3-4 days of acclamation for the crit (did some spinning the day before to open up the legs, and the road race the day before that)
colorado boulder coach said 3 weeks is the sweet spot
1-2 days of acclamation for the road race (holed up inside a car for 2 days straight before that)
3-4 days of acclamation for the crit (did some spinning the day before to open up the legs, and the road race the day before that)
colorado boulder coach said 3 weeks is the sweet spot
My wife’s team did well last year, but they did much better this year because everyone was better prepared from a hydration perspective.
05-07-18, 11:18 PM
#358
commu*ist spy
you may have had multiple things going on. "holed up in a car for 2 days straight" = a problem.
oddly, the effects of elevation do not tend to hit people right away (assuming proper diet, rest, hydration), so if you were to fly in and race in the next 1-2 days, you can sometimes get away with a minimal hit. TBH, 3-4 days is the worst.
however, assuming you drove to the venue, then both your RR & crit were at the worst point in time (including the car ride).
3 weeks is unrealistic. i also find that it doesn't have to take that long.
for reference, i've worked through the effects of elevation quote a bit (though my personal situation is that i live at 6,200 and often travel lower to race, i do work with people who do the opposite).
if you wanted top performance taking whatever training you did prior, i would have advised to either (a) leave later or (b) fly, if at all possible, and race immediately.
here's a bit of good news: when you live at 500', you get to work your body really hard with VO2max efforts & up. yeah, you lose something when you go to elevation, but you are coming from a stronger place. if you live at elevation and race down low, you may get a performance boost, but training over the preceding months (years?) has been taking place at a lower level than it otherwise would be if performed at sea level.
the effects of altitude on aerobic performance are pretty well-documented. assuming you were racing at ~5-6,000' higher than your normal training, you could expect to lose ~10% of power at threshold efforts. You can lose more at higher exertion. This also assumes you did a good job hydrating and resting -- from the car comment it sounds like one could have reason to predict you would do a bit worse than the # i quoted above.
oddly, the effects of elevation do not tend to hit people right away (assuming proper diet, rest, hydration), so if you were to fly in and race in the next 1-2 days, you can sometimes get away with a minimal hit. TBH, 3-4 days is the worst.
however, assuming you drove to the venue, then both your RR & crit were at the worst point in time (including the car ride).
3 weeks is unrealistic. i also find that it doesn't have to take that long.
for reference, i've worked through the effects of elevation quote a bit (though my personal situation is that i live at 6,200 and often travel lower to race, i do work with people who do the opposite).
if you wanted top performance taking whatever training you did prior, i would have advised to either (a) leave later or (b) fly, if at all possible, and race immediately.
here's a bit of good news: when you live at 500', you get to work your body really hard with VO2max efforts & up. yeah, you lose something when you go to elevation, but you are coming from a stronger place. if you live at elevation and race down low, you may get a performance boost, but training over the preceding months (years?) has been taking place at a lower level than it otherwise would be if performed at sea level.
the effects of altitude on aerobic performance are pretty well-documented. assuming you were racing at ~5-6,000' higher than your normal training, you could expect to lose ~10% of power at threshold efforts. You can lose more at higher exertion. This also assumes you did a good job hydrating and resting -- from the car comment it sounds like one could have reason to predict you would do a bit worse than the # i quoted above.
Elevation isn’t your only challenge out there. It’s very dry out there, and that can wreak havoc on you too, leaving you very dehydrated. (IIRC, you live in a fairly humid area.)
My wife’s team did well last year, but they did much better this year because everyone was better prepared from a hydration perspective.
my power was definitely more than 10% lower than normal. It was also quite a bit harder to sustain hard efforts. This was not really a target race. I'm like 10 lbs over race weight, as I've been focusing mostly on crits lately. I was mostly there for the experience. But getting my ass kicked like that definitely serves as motivation for next year. I DNF'ed the road race, and finished top 40 in the crit (meh). saw Doge's baby boy ride with the AF academy was kinda cool. I think he placed 4th in the TT.
what i don't understand is how leaving later and racing right away is a good thing. isn't the symptom of drop in performance a function of the amount of oxygen there is available per unit volume? I would've thought that having a few days to acclimate is better than racing as soon as you get off the plane.
05-08-18, 11:18 PM
#360
Senior Member
B (3/4) - Got into the winning breakaway of 7 which included 2 teammates. One of my teammates crossed wheels and that was the end of me, but I was okay and bike okay. A little bummed that I didn't accomplish my goal of getting into a winning breakway and staying away til the end. So close. Crash was with 5 laps to go.
A (p123) - First race as a 3. Big wind, many dropped riders. I was very confused as to what was going on, just tried to follow wheels. Got dropped from the main chase, but caught back on working with 3 other guys. Breakaway of 2 far up the road. Rest of us came together. I finished 8th overall. Exceeded my expectations by a fair bit. Felt crampy for last several laps. Earned a point for my team in the cash cup.
A (p123) - First race as a 3. Big wind, many dropped riders. I was very confused as to what was going on, just tried to follow wheels. Got dropped from the main chase, but caught back on working with 3 other guys. Breakaway of 2 far up the road. Rest of us came together. I finished 8th overall. Exceeded my expectations by a fair bit. Felt crampy for last several laps. Earned a point for my team in the cash cup.
05-09-18, 08:36 AM
#361
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B (3/4) - Got into the winning breakaway of 7 which included 2 teammates. One of my teammates crossed wheels and that was the end of me, but I was okay and bike okay. A little bummed that I didn't accomplish my goal of getting into a winning breakway and staying away til the end. So close. Crash was with 5 laps to go.
A (p123) - First race as a 3. Big wind, many dropped riders. I was very confused as to what was going on, just tried to follow wheels. Got dropped from the main chase, but caught back on working with 3 other guys. Breakaway of 2 far up the road. Rest of us came together. I finished 8th overall. Exceeded my expectations by a fair bit. Felt crampy for last several laps. Earned a point for my team in the cash cup.
A (p123) - First race as a 3. Big wind, many dropped riders. I was very confused as to what was going on, just tried to follow wheels. Got dropped from the main chase, but caught back on working with 3 other guys. Breakaway of 2 far up the road. Rest of us came together. I finished 8th overall. Exceeded my expectations by a fair bit. Felt crampy for last several laps. Earned a point for my team in the cash cup.
05-09-18, 08:42 AM
#362
Senior Member
I'm glad I upgraded. Going with the A's is a new fun thing that will hopefully keep my interest going, and moving towards the path of personal growth. I see these guys sticking as 4s, just trying to get results and I realize that's not what I care about or want. I got the 2nd best result for my team, and only 3 of us on the team were not dropped. So this gets me closer to my goal of being a contributing member of the Masters 40+ team (versus 35+ 4/5).
05-09-18, 10:20 AM
#363
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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re: elevation - everything TR said is correct. Get in the day before you race and the effects aren't too bad. By day 3-4 you're feeling effects of prolonged lower O2 than you're accustomed too.
an amateur tip: placebo or not, I spent about 10 minutes/day for a couple weeks prior to nats when they were in Utah doing free-diving breathing tables. Scientifically supported to increase hematocrit levels. Honestly I should still be doing them, but I'm lazy and you have to really set aside time for laser focus.
an amateur tip: placebo or not, I spent about 10 minutes/day for a couple weeks prior to nats when they were in Utah doing free-diving breathing tables. Scientifically supported to increase hematocrit levels. Honestly I should still be doing them, but I'm lazy and you have to really set aside time for laser focus.
05-09-18, 08:11 PM
#364
Cat 2
my power was definitely more than 10% lower than normal. It was also quite a bit harder to sustain hard efforts. This was not really a target race. I'm like 10 lbs over race weight, as I've been focusing mostly on crits lately. I was mostly there for the experience. But getting my ass kicked like that definitely serves as motivation for next year. I DNF'ed the road race, and finished top 40 in the crit (meh). saw Doge's baby boy ride with the AF academy was kinda cool. I think he placed 4th in the TT.
what i don't understand is how leaving later and racing right away is a good thing. isn't the symptom of drop in performance a function of the amount of oxygen there is available per unit volume? I would've thought that having a few days to acclimate is better than racing as soon as you get off the plane.
what i don't understand is how leaving later and racing right away is a good thing. isn't the symptom of drop in performance a function of the amount of oxygen there is available per unit volume? I would've thought that having a few days to acclimate is better than racing as soon as you get off the plane.
I did meet Doge who seemed like a nice guy. And watching him support the AF guys was super cool. Also one of the old Lux boys (so one of Daniel's teammates) won the crit, so that's sweet too.
05-12-18, 07:10 AM
#365
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@spectastic, if you read about altitude effects of cycling, you’ll find what Teton and Ygduf say is exactly right. I’m pretty affected by altitude, was planning on racing the NoCal State TT (its been cancelled, so my plan is tabled) and Ex’s reccomndation for me was either arrive the day before (forgoing preriding the course which is not a huge issue, I’ve raced it before) or come out well ahead (which is more fun, I’d just take a vacation in the mountains). I was planning on arriving 7-8 days ahead of the race.
@furiousferret, congrats! You’ve got to feel pretty good about that one. I had teammates out racing at Rosen’s Ranch (none in your race), they did pretty well: 3rd, 4th and 5th in various races. Did you race at Redlands on Sunday? We had a contingent there too. It’s in your backyard, right?
@furiousferret, congrats! You’ve got to feel pretty good about that one. I had teammates out racing at Rosen’s Ranch (none in your race), they did pretty well: 3rd, 4th and 5th in various races. Did you race at Redlands on Sunday? We had a contingent there too. It’s in your backyard, right?
05-12-18, 07:26 AM
#366
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I raced a local 40k TT last Sunday. Came in 2nd of 5 in the Women’s Open.
Went into it very non-optimized (added this race at the last minute just to get another 40k under my belt, I had to skip the Wash State TT the week prior due to sick dog), I think my TSB might have been something like -20 on race day. Power was terrible, the lowest I’ve ever had on that course. Wind followed the forecast as far as direction throughout the course of the race but it was stronger than forecast. And it was the hottest day of the year so far, in the high 80s by race finish.
I went in with a good plan as to how to execute in the wind and heat and did a decent job out on the course- just fatigued and power too low. I got totally smoked by my racing nemesis but finished 1+ minutes ahead of everyone else. And I was only a minute off my goal time, so I was actually pretty ok with the race overall.
One race left for me this season and I’m already looking past into next season. I think coach and I will be able to capitalize on the cancellation of the NoCal State TT by getting an aerotesting session in at Velo Sports Center in the week I was supposed to be up in Tahoe for the race.
Went into it very non-optimized (added this race at the last minute just to get another 40k under my belt, I had to skip the Wash State TT the week prior due to sick dog), I think my TSB might have been something like -20 on race day. Power was terrible, the lowest I’ve ever had on that course. Wind followed the forecast as far as direction throughout the course of the race but it was stronger than forecast. And it was the hottest day of the year so far, in the high 80s by race finish.
I went in with a good plan as to how to execute in the wind and heat and did a decent job out on the course- just fatigued and power too low. I got totally smoked by my racing nemesis but finished 1+ minutes ahead of everyone else. And I was only a minute off my goal time, so I was actually pretty ok with the race overall.
One race left for me this season and I’m already looking past into next season. I think coach and I will be able to capitalize on the cancellation of the NoCal State TT by getting an aerotesting session in at Velo Sports Center in the week I was supposed to be up in Tahoe for the race.
05-12-18, 02:26 PM
#367
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Victorville Road Race - Cat 4/5
Last minute we were combined with the 5's, which wasn't ideal for me. I prefer a smaller field where its easier to take flyers and go into the last lap either in a break or with everyone gassed. Right now FTP is all I got. First lap, a few of us tried to go off the front but it was covered. Nothing else really materialized and I was never in the right position (or noticed) for the attempts that did. We went into the final mile together, and when the sprint happened I just didn't have the firepower in my legs. 22nd out of 30.
I probably should have taken off with a few miles to go, but I really wanted someone else to initiate (I think everyone else did too). Chances are it wouldn't have worked but I had zero chance in that sprint.
Yeah, I'm getting closer to the pointy end. I skipped Redlands because I figured my legs would be dead (plus a stacked field), and Rosena is just a better match up for me since there is some elevation. The Redlands Crit is about 6 blocks downhill from me.
Good job on the TT, I'm hoping to do SCNCA Champs next month but with a CTL of 65 I have a ton of work to do.
Last minute we were combined with the 5's, which wasn't ideal for me. I prefer a smaller field where its easier to take flyers and go into the last lap either in a break or with everyone gassed. Right now FTP is all I got. First lap, a few of us tried to go off the front but it was covered. Nothing else really materialized and I was never in the right position (or noticed) for the attempts that did. We went into the final mile together, and when the sprint happened I just didn't have the firepower in my legs. 22nd out of 30.
I probably should have taken off with a few miles to go, but I really wanted someone else to initiate (I think everyone else did too). Chances are it wouldn't have worked but I had zero chance in that sprint.
@furiousferret, congrats! You’ve got to feel pretty good about that one. I had teammates out racing at Rosen’s Ranch (none in your race), they did pretty well: 3rd, 4th and 5th in various races. Did you race at Redlands on Sunday? We had a contingent there too. It’s in your backyard, right?
Good job on the TT, I'm hoping to do SCNCA Champs next month but with a CTL of 65 I have a ton of work to do.
05-12-18, 03:10 PM
#369
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The CBS guy? He was one of the guys I kept my eye on which is another reason combining the fields was annoying (since I had no idea who to watch out for in the 5's).
I always seem to be at my best over 80 CTL, my FTP usually tops out at that point (93 is highest ever so not sure how it does past that). Once you're over that big volume hump, everything is just easier.
The other big thing is getting used to the position. I'll probably lock in my TT bike on my smart trainer and ride it outdoors on Sundays.
I always seem to be at my best over 80 CTL, my FTP usually tops out at that point (93 is highest ever so not sure how it does past that). Once you're over that big volume hump, everything is just easier.
The other big thing is getting used to the position. I'll probably lock in my TT bike on my smart trainer and ride it outdoors on Sundays.
05-12-18, 05:39 PM
#370
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Keep at it @furiousferret
The racing will help race into better fitness, but more importantly get you pack skills sharp for when it all comes back together for you.
The racing will help race into better fitness, but more importantly get you pack skills sharp for when it all comes back together for you.
05-13-18, 09:59 AM
#371
Senior Member
First race as a cat 2! Victorville Road Race P12. Originally 14x6 mile laps, but the official took a poll at the start and we decided on 12 laps instead. Small field, pretty strong but steady wind. Neutral roll out for like 30 seconds to the start/finish, then it was on. The pace immediately rocketed up, and as we went through a zig-saggy section of road with really bumpy pavement, I started to fall back through the pack as I didn't know the lines and the road surface was messing me up.
As we turned left onto a tailwind straight, I realized I was a bit too far back and stuck behind a guy who was already pretty much done and opening up a gap (later find out it's the owner of the socal cycling team or something like that). Burned a match and did 400-500w to the next corner, took the right turn and of course had to burn another to match the surge, so another 700w push settling down into mid 300s for a bit, then finally chilling in the pack for a headwind descent. In the mean time my teammate went off the front. Recovered for a little bit, then saw a move forming to chase/bridge to my teammate, so I jumped to follow it, then we hit the turnaround for a tailwind climb up the main hill.
Man, tailwind climbs suck. Started it at around 400w, then slowly faded while everybody passed me, but was in that spot where I just couldn't dig to accelerate up to everyone else's speed. Heart rate just kept climbing, maxing out at ~180, and then I was just done. 10 minutes into the race, dropped like a stone. FML.
Power-wise, that effort should have been doable, but I think it was all the digs before that and maybe too easy/short of a warmup that did me in. I expected it to be hard, but didn't count on it just going ballistic from the gun. A few others got popped on that first lap, including a couple teammates who I consider stronger than me, so I don't feel toooo terrible.
Chased hard for 1-2 laps hoping they might slow down, then just settled into tempo pace with one other guy for the remaining couple of hours. Luckily they finished us a lap down, as we got lapped with 1.5 to go, and I was able to watch my super strong teammate duke it out from the winning break coming into the finish. Unfortunately, he was up against two pairs of teammates working together, and got 4th. Good workout I guess
On to the next one!
As we turned left onto a tailwind straight, I realized I was a bit too far back and stuck behind a guy who was already pretty much done and opening up a gap (later find out it's the owner of the socal cycling team or something like that). Burned a match and did 400-500w to the next corner, took the right turn and of course had to burn another to match the surge, so another 700w push settling down into mid 300s for a bit, then finally chilling in the pack for a headwind descent. In the mean time my teammate went off the front. Recovered for a little bit, then saw a move forming to chase/bridge to my teammate, so I jumped to follow it, then we hit the turnaround for a tailwind climb up the main hill.
Man, tailwind climbs suck. Started it at around 400w, then slowly faded while everybody passed me, but was in that spot where I just couldn't dig to accelerate up to everyone else's speed. Heart rate just kept climbing, maxing out at ~180, and then I was just done. 10 minutes into the race, dropped like a stone. FML.
Power-wise, that effort should have been doable, but I think it was all the digs before that and maybe too easy/short of a warmup that did me in. I expected it to be hard, but didn't count on it just going ballistic from the gun. A few others got popped on that first lap, including a couple teammates who I consider stronger than me, so I don't feel toooo terrible.
Chased hard for 1-2 laps hoping they might slow down, then just settled into tempo pace with one other guy for the remaining couple of hours. Luckily they finished us a lap down, as we got lapped with 1.5 to go, and I was able to watch my super strong teammate duke it out from the winning break coming into the finish. Unfortunately, he was up against two pairs of teammates working together, and got 4th. Good workout I guess
On to the next one!
05-13-18, 01:54 PM
#372
Has a magic bike
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The CBS guy? He was one of the guys I kept my eye on which is another reason combining the fields was annoying (since I had no idea who to watch out for in the 5's).
I always seem to be at my best over 80 CTL, my FTP usually tops out at that point (93 is highest ever so not sure how it does past that). Once you're over that big volume hump, everything is just easier.
The other big thing is getting used to the position. I'll probably lock in my TT bike on my smart trainer and ride it outdoors on Sundays.
I always seem to be at my best over 80 CTL, my FTP usually tops out at that point (93 is highest ever so not sure how it does past that). Once you're over that big volume hump, everything is just easier.
The other big thing is getting used to the position. I'll probably lock in my TT bike on my smart trainer and ride it outdoors on Sundays.
Ive done the high CTL thing in the past, 90-100 for many months. But Ex keeps much lower than that for TTs. Obviously though everyone is different. Point is: you should do the race anyway, what’s the worst that could happen? A 40k TT sucks anyway. ��
05-13-18, 04:48 PM
#373
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First race as a cat 2! Victorville Road Race P12. Originally 14x6 mile laps, but the official took a poll at the start and we decided on 12 laps instead. Small field, pretty strong but steady wind. Neutral roll out for like 30 seconds to the start/finish, then it was on. The pace immediately rocketed up, and as we went through a zig-saggy section of road with really bumpy pavement, I started to fall back through the pack as I didn't know the lines and the road surface was messing me up.
As we turned left onto a tailwind straight, I realized I was a bit too far back and stuck behind a guy who was already pretty much done and opening up a gap (later find out it's the owner of the socal cycling team or something like that). Burned a match and did 400-500w to the next corner, took the right turn and of course had to burn another to match the surge, so another 700w push settling down into mid 300s for a bit, then finally chilling in the pack for a headwind descent. In the mean time my teammate went off the front. Recovered for a little bit, then saw a move forming to chase/bridge to my teammate, so I jumped to follow it, then we hit the turnaround for a tailwind climb up the main hill.
Man, tailwind climbs suck. Started it at around 400w, then slowly faded while everybody passed me, but was in that spot where I just couldn't dig to accelerate up to everyone else's speed. Heart rate just kept climbing, maxing out at ~180, and then I was just done. 10 minutes into the race, dropped like a stone. FML.
Power-wise, that effort should have been doable, but I think it was all the digs before that and maybe too easy/short of a warmup that did me in. I expected it to be hard, but didn't count on it just going ballistic from the gun. A few others got popped on that first lap, including a couple teammates who I consider stronger than me, so I don't feel toooo terrible.
Chased hard for 1-2 laps hoping they might slow down, then just settled into tempo pace with one other guy for the remaining couple of hours. Luckily they finished us a lap down, as we got lapped with 1.5 to go, and I was able to watch my super strong teammate duke it out from the winning break coming into the finish. Unfortunately, he was up against two pairs of teammates working together, and got 4th. Good workout I guess
On to the next one!
As we turned left onto a tailwind straight, I realized I was a bit too far back and stuck behind a guy who was already pretty much done and opening up a gap (later find out it's the owner of the socal cycling team or something like that). Burned a match and did 400-500w to the next corner, took the right turn and of course had to burn another to match the surge, so another 700w push settling down into mid 300s for a bit, then finally chilling in the pack for a headwind descent. In the mean time my teammate went off the front. Recovered for a little bit, then saw a move forming to chase/bridge to my teammate, so I jumped to follow it, then we hit the turnaround for a tailwind climb up the main hill.
Man, tailwind climbs suck. Started it at around 400w, then slowly faded while everybody passed me, but was in that spot where I just couldn't dig to accelerate up to everyone else's speed. Heart rate just kept climbing, maxing out at ~180, and then I was just done. 10 minutes into the race, dropped like a stone. FML.
Power-wise, that effort should have been doable, but I think it was all the digs before that and maybe too easy/short of a warmup that did me in. I expected it to be hard, but didn't count on it just going ballistic from the gun. A few others got popped on that first lap, including a couple teammates who I consider stronger than me, so I don't feel toooo terrible.
Chased hard for 1-2 laps hoping they might slow down, then just settled into tempo pace with one other guy for the remaining couple of hours. Luckily they finished us a lap down, as we got lapped with 1.5 to go, and I was able to watch my super strong teammate duke it out from the winning break coming into the finish. Unfortunately, he was up against two pairs of teammates working together, and got 4th. Good workout I guess
On to the next one!
I caught about 3" of air on one of those corners after hitting a bump, a ton of people did. Did not care for the descent / ascent portion either, that turnaround screwed everything up.
05-14-18, 12:05 AM
#374
Senior Member
Raced twice.
2/3 race I was dumb again and let the winning break get away. The guy who was so far undefeated at red kite this year and who did a 233 mile bike to work ride recently at 12:01 from Nevada was in the break. So was mikes bikes who made up a 3rd of the field. So I put in several big pulls but the break was soon out of sight and I gave up. 6 of them lapped us 20 minutes in. Everyone sat on winner dudes wheel and mikes had to chase him every time he went. But damn that guy is fast. He put in a big attack start of the last lap with 5 guys on his wheel and i couldn't hang on. Rolled in behind for 10th /23.
1/2 race only had 13 starters including 3 fresh teammates and 2 other tired teammates. Right from the whistle the fresh guys take off and the split of 5 is gone. I don't care I'm just trying to hang on and get a workout. A bit later the 2 tired teammates go off and 4 of us are rolling around the back. But 2 of em missed the break and a few big pulls knocked me off the back. I rode around, got lapped by the leaders, then latched onto the 3 remaining guys (2 teammates and one of the team that missed the break). Let them go with 2 to go and rolled in just to finish.
212 TSS in 2:09 damn.
2/3 race I was dumb again and let the winning break get away. The guy who was so far undefeated at red kite this year and who did a 233 mile bike to work ride recently at 12:01 from Nevada was in the break. So was mikes bikes who made up a 3rd of the field. So I put in several big pulls but the break was soon out of sight and I gave up. 6 of them lapped us 20 minutes in. Everyone sat on winner dudes wheel and mikes had to chase him every time he went. But damn that guy is fast. He put in a big attack start of the last lap with 5 guys on his wheel and i couldn't hang on. Rolled in behind for 10th /23.
1/2 race only had 13 starters including 3 fresh teammates and 2 other tired teammates. Right from the whistle the fresh guys take off and the split of 5 is gone. I don't care I'm just trying to hang on and get a workout. A bit later the 2 tired teammates go off and 4 of us are rolling around the back. But 2 of em missed the break and a few big pulls knocked me off the back. I rode around, got lapped by the leaders, then latched onto the 3 remaining guys (2 teammates and one of the team that missed the break). Let them go with 2 to go and rolled in just to finish.
212 TSS in 2:09 damn.
05-14-18, 06:13 AM
#375
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First race as a cat 2! Victorville Road Race P12. Originally 14x6 mile laps, but the official took a poll at the start and we decided on 12 laps instead. Small field, pretty strong but steady wind. Neutral roll out for like 30 seconds to the start/finish, then it was on. The pace immediately rocketed up, and as we went through a zig-saggy section of road with really bumpy pavement, I started to fall back through the pack as I didn't know the lines and the road surface was messing me up.
As we turned left onto a tailwind straight, I realized I was a bit too far back and stuck behind a guy who was already pretty much done and opening up a gap (later find out it's the owner of the socal cycling team or something like that). Burned a match and did 400-500w to the next corner, took the right turn and of course had to burn another to match the surge, so another 700w push settling down into mid 300s for a bit, then finally chilling in the pack for a headwind descent. In the mean time my teammate went off the front. Recovered for a little bit, then saw a move forming to chase/bridge to my teammate, so I jumped to follow it, then we hit the turnaround for a tailwind climb up the main hill.
Man, tailwind climbs suck. Started it at around 400w, then slowly faded while everybody passed me, but was in that spot where I just couldn't dig to accelerate up to everyone else's speed. Heart rate just kept climbing, maxing out at ~180, and then I was just done. 10 minutes into the race, dropped like a stone. FML.
Power-wise, that effort should have been doable, but I think it was all the digs before that and maybe too easy/short of a warmup that did me in. I expected it to be hard, but didn't count on it just going ballistic from the gun. A few others got popped on that first lap, including a couple teammates who I consider stronger than me, so I don't feel toooo terrible.
Chased hard for 1-2 laps hoping they might slow down, then just settled into tempo pace with one other guy for the remaining couple of hours. Luckily they finished us a lap down, as we got lapped with 1.5 to go, and I was able to watch my super strong teammate duke it out from the winning break coming into the finish. Unfortunately, he was up against two pairs of teammates working together, and got 4th. Good workout I guess
On to the next one!
As we turned left onto a tailwind straight, I realized I was a bit too far back and stuck behind a guy who was already pretty much done and opening up a gap (later find out it's the owner of the socal cycling team or something like that). Burned a match and did 400-500w to the next corner, took the right turn and of course had to burn another to match the surge, so another 700w push settling down into mid 300s for a bit, then finally chilling in the pack for a headwind descent. In the mean time my teammate went off the front. Recovered for a little bit, then saw a move forming to chase/bridge to my teammate, so I jumped to follow it, then we hit the turnaround for a tailwind climb up the main hill.
Man, tailwind climbs suck. Started it at around 400w, then slowly faded while everybody passed me, but was in that spot where I just couldn't dig to accelerate up to everyone else's speed. Heart rate just kept climbing, maxing out at ~180, and then I was just done. 10 minutes into the race, dropped like a stone. FML.
Power-wise, that effort should have been doable, but I think it was all the digs before that and maybe too easy/short of a warmup that did me in. I expected it to be hard, but didn't count on it just going ballistic from the gun. A few others got popped on that first lap, including a couple teammates who I consider stronger than me, so I don't feel toooo terrible.
Chased hard for 1-2 laps hoping they might slow down, then just settled into tempo pace with one other guy for the remaining couple of hours. Luckily they finished us a lap down, as we got lapped with 1.5 to go, and I was able to watch my super strong teammate duke it out from the winning break coming into the finish. Unfortunately, he was up against two pairs of teammates working together, and got 4th. Good workout I guess
On to the next one!