sarals 

You are EXACTLY right! It's all about the magic

revchuck 

This forum definitely needs a "like" button for stuff like the above.

echappist

congrats, @Racer Ex and @sarals

where is Nats held next year?

also, looks like our benevolent overlord @gsteinb, peace be with him, did quite well in the ITT. Going under an hour on a road bike is no mean feat

sarals 

Thanks, Chuck!!

It's a testament to friends. It's pretty hard to win on your own. I am lucky indeed to be a part of pretty special community.

sarals 

Thanks, @echappist!

Congrats to @gsteinb, that's pretty awesome! He has the heart of a champion, and I am quite sure he'd do well in anything he decided to pursue.

The talk at T-Town was that Masters Track Nats would be at Colorado Springs next year. That'll be fun! I'll bring oxygen...

Hermes

Congrats to all at Masters Track Lats.

sarals 

@Hermes, thanks!

Dalai

Been checking in every couple of days to look for your report Sarals. Congratulations on a great competition!

sarals 

Thank you, Dalai!

sarals 

This was BJ's and my start for our 58.207 team sprint at Nats. Good for second place. We contacted T-Town to ask if we'd set a track record for 65+ masters women. They don't track masters. We race in a vacuum, I guess. Anyway, we had a GREAT ride. Ex did the hold for me, he's walking down track in the photo.

Dalai

This site needs a like button. Awesome pictures Sarals!

sarals 

Voodoo76

Final TT of the season Sunday. Turned in a decent for me 30:40 on a slow day. Almost no wind at the start and a headwind picking up on the return the whole morning. It was a good 10mph by the time I crossed the line.

This wrapped up my second season attempting to "be" a TT rider. I've likened it to deciding to be a soprano. At best you end up imitating one, a slightly off key falsetto And although I have struggled, I'm seeing some promising signs. Recovery time after crossing the line Sunday was minimal, it was a very conservative ride. HR was almost dead even Average and Peak were within 2bpm, VI was 1.00. And I was only occasionally glancing down at Power. Wasn't really riding off it instead focused on rhythm, cadence & the course. Night and day from my first few starts.

Next up I'm thinking about a trip over to Alkek. Sort out my Track bike & do a pursuit ride late in September. I have not been on Aero bars on the track since 1994.

Hermes

@Voodoo76 Props on the final TT. It seems like you are on your way to Adam Lavine status.

nslckevin

With the excuse of using it to get our new masters worlds TP squad together for a practice run on the track in LA before worlds I went to elite track nationals. I haven't spent enough time on the track yet this year to make the massed start races a good idea, so I signed up for the IP and TP. My goal was to meet my PR's that I set at the 1996 elite nationals in T-Town. Kind of banking on the faster indoor track and equipment improvements to make up for what I've lost over the last 22 years of aging.

First up was the IP. I decided to run a 52x14 and was looking for splits of 17.5 seconds with a 5 second start differential. That would put me right on my goal of 4:45. Three things kept me from meeting that goal.

1. I jumped just a bit early and got bit by the gate. Not bad, but not optimal.
2. My opponent was slow. I caught him 3 times. One pass was timed well, just after the turns on the straight, but the other two were in the corner so I had to travel significantly farther.
3. I just couldn’t go fast enough. Lots of 17.7's and even one 17.9 instead of 17.5's.

In the end I was fairly happy with my time of 4:48.770. It was a well paced ride that was as fast as I could go on that day. That was good for 12th place out of 28 starters and second place out of the 55+ entries. Chris Carlson rode an impressive 4:43.

The next day was the team pursuit. Our new team was myself, Chris Carlson (5 golds at master's track natz), Larry Nolan (no intro necessary), and Bill Brissman. Bill was subbing for Curtis Tolson who will be our 4th for Worlds. The plan was for Larry to start with 1.75 laps, the Chris w/ 2, Bill w/ 1, me w/ 2 and so on. It worked out pretty well. We were shooting for 16.5 second laps, but like my IP we were just a bit off on our splits and ended up with a 4:35.493. Well paced, but just a bit slow. Good enough for a new national record for 50+ though, beating the old record by 3 seconds. We are hoping to get down around 4:30 for worlds in October. We will see.

I also got to watch some really good scratch races, points races and TP finals. Good stuff.

sarals 

Well done, @nslckevin! I read Larry's post on FB about Elite Nats. You guys rode a stellar TP. Congrats on your IP, as well. Great ride!!

nslckevin

Since the weather sucked at the Loyalton TT this year (windy), Rob Van Houweling worked with the Reno Wheelmen to promote a record attempt day just across the valley on the Sattley TT course. It was a small, invitation affair with only five riders.

Having just last week used my TT bike, a Specialized Shiv for pursuit and team pursuit at elite track nationals, I got kind of lazy and did something I've always wanted to do and ran a fixed gear. I didn't want to build it back up only to strip it down again for the upcoming track districts and later track worlds. I used a gear chart and called 50' my goal and decided on 100 rpm for my cadence. That pointed to a 54x14 being the best choice. I installed the front brake per the rules and was good to go. The forecast was for calm winds so I figured I'd be okay.

And it went pretty much as planned. There is just a bit of elevation change on this course, but the lowest cadence I saw was 92 (the data showed 89 though) rpm for around 42 kph, but mostly when it was flat I was at 100-102 rpm and 48-50 kph. I was hoping to sneak in under 50 minutes but it was not meant to be and my final time was 50:18 which broke the existing record of 50:59 held by Gary Painter. In three previous attempts on the Loyalton course I missed it by I believe 2 and 3 seconds (2016 and 2018) and in 2017 broke it with a 50:16. That attempt was not ratified due to the electronic timing failing and a new rule that year requiring electronic timing. This time everything worked as it should and I met USADA in Vacaville on my way home to get drug tested. Another new rule in 2017.

BTW, the Sattley course sits at an elevation of 4900 feet above sea level.

My average power was 300 watts on the nose and my average cadence was 98 rpm.

Here's the Strava link which includes a picture of my bike setup.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1768362069

Also, Molly Van Houweling set a new women's 45-49 record of 54:03.

Bandera

Well done, and style points for doing it on a fixed gear.

-Bandera

sarals 

@nslckevin well done!! Congrats on the record!!! I'll see you at Masters Track Districts.

sarals 

Athlete: Sara
Date: September 2, 2018
Venue: An Industrial Park in Pleasanton
Race: NCNCA Masters District Criterium Championship, Women 50+ (Racing 65+)
Teammates: Norma, Yvonne

Hi folks,

I wish I could do more crits. I enjoy them, and when the field is as skilled as the masters fields usually are, it makes for a great experience. I admit I was concerned about my fitness going in to this race, because my endurance is suspect due to my "short track efforts". This was going to be a 50 minute race. No matter, I'd race, and I'd give it what I had.

There were sixteen riders pre-regged, and I think that many lined up for the start. San Jose Bike Club (SJBC) had a large turnout relative to the field, with five (or maybe six) riders. Next was Breakaway Women's Racing, they had four or five. Pen Velo was next, we had three. Many of the "usual suspects" were there, but some were notable in their absence. Still, the field was strong, and I anticipated a spirited race.

My take on the district championship race is, because it's an age graded championship, is pretty much every rider for themselves. Team tactics usually don't come into play. In the past, breaks were covered and brought back quickly, and the pace was usually pretty high.

Not this time.

We rolled at the whistle. The first two laps were pretty leisurely, and I thought "wow, I really didn't need to warm up for so long". Things came a up a bit after the third or fourth lap, and for the first of the three primes, the pace quickened considerably. After that prime sprint, SJBC sent one or two riders off the front, and the rest of them went to the front and blocked. They slowed us way down! Yvonne made a couple of attempts to attack and lift the pace, as did Norma, but these efforts were shut down pretty quickly. SJBC had a pretty firm grip on the proceedings, and they were doing a masterful job. The only people other than SJBC doing anything to animate the race were Yvonne and Norma, no one else seemed interested in bringing back the break.

My concern was staying in, staying out of the wind, not getting gapped, staying safe, and then positioning for the sprint. The field was very safe, great skills, and this was born out when there was a wheel touch right in front of me. The two riders involved made the appropriate response, shrugged it off, and kept racing. Chapeau!!

With two to go, the field once again slowed way down. Everyone was looking at each other, and you could feel the springs coiling. At the bell, the pace came up. I wanted to be on the outside going into the last turn, hopefully on a (younger) solid wheel, and I'd start my sprint from there. I had tested the inside on a few occasions, and I discovered that it was too easy to get trapped in there. I needed an open road in front of me for my sprint. I was feeling the race in my legs, and I really had no idea how things were going to go. Yvonne and Norma were riding beautifully. Norma in particular was very, very strong and I had it my mind that she already had the jersey.

On the short chute prior to last turn, I grabbed a wheel on the outside. Checking, I saw that Norma was on the inside. As we rolled into the last turn, I started my sprint. It was going to be every bit of 200 meters, and even though I was clearly hurting I threw down every ounce of energy I had left. I recall starting my effort on a wheel, but after that, my focus was on the line, and the line was all that I saw. The line that never seemed to draw closer! When I (finally) hit that line I could not have gone another ten feet. I was totally used up, completely gassed (I p/b'ed my heartrate!). I also did not know where I finished, but I was pretty sure that Norma was ahead of me. I was wrong, I was on the front the second group crossing the line. All of SJBC, along with a J/L Velo rider, were in the lead group, about ten meters in front of me.

My heart goes out to Norma. I was all but certain she'd win the jersey. She rode a brilliant race. She's so strong, so smart, and she was moving around in that peloton with ease. Not me, I was hiding!

I'm so proud of my team. We are fortunate to have some very strong, elite masters women among us, who race hard, race smart, and know how to win.

Thanks for reading!

Heathpack 

sarals 

@Heathpack, you know it was the socks! Thank you!

revchuck 

I posted my report from LoToJa here in the 33.

exmechanic89

That's awesome, sarals. Something to be proud of for sure.

YogaKat

Well done @sarals ! Congrats on the jersey!