Yesterday marked one year since my return to cycling. OK, I guess it really marked me getting off my ass and trying to lose some weight, but cycling followed that pretty closely!
My target was to get from 198 pounds down to around 160. I made it down to 173, but then put about 10 pounds back on. I figure I need to re-dedicate myself a bit on the weight loss side. Even with the backslide, I'm still down 15 pounds from last year. If I can lose another 15 this year, I'd be thrilled.
My fitness targets were a little more vague. Using my West River Time Trial times as a gauge, last year I did one in 22:34. On Saturday, I did it in 20:16. My Maximal Latate Steady State started out at 185 watts. Now it's up to 240 watts. I'm definitely a lot fitter.
I've done a few crits. I definitely don't have the repeatable sprint that I used to have. I'm still working on that. I waffle back and forth whether I should put a higher priority on weight loss or racing speed. It's really hard to do both at the same time. Strangely, I find that my time trial workouts are probably better for weight loss than the high end crit workouts are.
My life is totally different. I'm divorced, live in a different place, traded in my car for a different one, ride a different bike, and have a different job. Looking back a year, I can barely recognize that life as being "me." I'm still getting used to all the new aspects of my life, but I think they will all be for the best in the long run.
By Labor Day 2010, I'm aiming to hit following goals:
Weight: 170 pounds
MLSS: 275 watts
West River Time Trial Time: 19:45
5 second Max Wattage: 1100 watts
Monday, May 24, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Too much of a good thing
This week, I made a rookie training mistake: I did WAY too much intensity.
Last Saturday, I did the West River Time Trial
Sunday, I did the Lower Providence Crit (got dropped, but still had some serious power numbers).
Tuesday morning, field test on the Computrainer.
Tuesday at lunch, went riding with coworkers.
Tuesday night, gym.
Thursday morning, tempo workout, forgot to calibrate trainer to the resistance was WAY high.
Thursday night, Green Tree crit until it rained.
Saturday, West River Time Trial.
Did I mention that I'm working almost non-stop lately and have an hour+ commute to work each way?
When I got on the trainer this morning , I couldn't figure out why I felt like crap. I looked over my training log for the last week and it was suddenly really clear: I'm doing too much at high intensity. To make matters worse, I'm not eating right or resting in between, so my body never refuels and recovers from the effort.
I've got to say, with my frustrations at the crit last week and annoyances like this, I've seriously thought about moving my training back to "weight loss" mode for the next few months until I lost the weight I gained back and get to a decent racing weight. Between gaining weight and seeing less-than-ideal performances, I'm not so sure that trying to race and lose weight at the same time is such a good idea.
Last Saturday, I did the West River Time Trial
Sunday, I did the Lower Providence Crit (got dropped, but still had some serious power numbers).
Tuesday morning, field test on the Computrainer.
Tuesday at lunch, went riding with coworkers.
Tuesday night, gym.
Thursday morning, tempo workout, forgot to calibrate trainer to the resistance was WAY high.
Thursday night, Green Tree crit until it rained.
Saturday, West River Time Trial.
Did I mention that I'm working almost non-stop lately and have an hour+ commute to work each way?
When I got on the trainer this morning , I couldn't figure out why I felt like crap. I looked over my training log for the last week and it was suddenly really clear: I'm doing too much at high intensity. To make matters worse, I'm not eating right or resting in between, so my body never refuels and recovers from the effort.
I've got to say, with my frustrations at the crit last week and annoyances like this, I've seriously thought about moving my training back to "weight loss" mode for the next few months until I lost the weight I gained back and get to a decent racing weight. Between gaining weight and seeing less-than-ideal performances, I'm not so sure that trying to race and lose weight at the same time is such a good idea.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Like One isn't Enough
In case you haven't noticed, I have a lot of fun blogging. Now I get to do it at work, too.
My first post just went up this week. I doubt I'll mention it much here, but wanted to at least tell you all that it's out there!
My first post just went up this week. I doubt I'll mention it much here, but wanted to at least tell you all that it's out there!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Not So Bad for a Comeback Race
Today was my first pack race since April 2005. Ironically, that was the race that got me my upgrade to Cat 4. I hadn't ever raced in a pack as a Cat 4. I've done several time trials, but nothing in a group.
The Blueberry Circuit Race is 5 laps of a 6.3 mile course, for 31.5 miles of racing. It's almost completely flat and had just 4 corners (one of them pretty sharp).
All week, I've been bugging my teammates about "who wants to go in the breakaway with me?" Everyone said the same thing, "no breakaway ever succeeds in this race." I was determined to make one happen.
Luckily, my teammate Aaron started it. We were only about a mile or so into the race when he made a move. I waited for someone else to try to catch him, then jumped on his wheel. As we came out the next turn, there were six of us together.... and we had probably 50 yards on the group. We quickly formed a rotating paceline and kept the pace at 22 to 24 mph for the next 30 miles.
Back in the pack, the 20 other riders from QCW Cycling/breakawaybikes.com did everything they could to stop anyone from chasing us. They rode four across at a slow pace. They chased every breakaway attempt and messed with their rhythm. Basically, they did what good teammates did: keep the pack off us. I heard some rumblings that our pack got as much as five minutes ahead of the pack.
The six of us worked pretty smoothly together. With a mile left, we had a round of congratulations to each other for working together so well, exchanged a few pats on the back, then gunned it. I pulled alongside Aaron, tapped him to get his attention, and then took off with him on my wheel. My download showed us at 32.6 mph. Hardly a great sprint, but certainly hard to catch. I held the pace as long as I could, then moved off the front. Aaron shot past me going for the win.
About 10 feet back were three more riders. I got on their wheel, caught my breath for a second, then attacked again. Another rider countered and got in front of me. I was sure I had third when another rider flew by me and the rider in front of me to catch second.
I want to be upset about not seeing him coming and doing anything about it (I could have gotten on his wheel and caught the other guy for third), but I'm absolutely thrilled with a 4th place finish in an event of this caliber.
A few stats:
Distance: 31.5 miles
Finishing Time: 1:20:38
Avg Speed: 23.4 mph
Max Speed: 32.6 mph
Normalized Power: 256 watts
Max Power: 1057 watts
I know I was lucky to have a huge team presence this day and I was in the right place when the break happened. I didn't have any control over the team presence, but I did have control over my location in the pack.
Now I just have to live up to the results from today for the rest of the summer!
Lastly, my thoughts are with my teammates and fellow riders who crashed today, some of whom were seriously hurt.
The Blueberry Circuit Race is 5 laps of a 6.3 mile course, for 31.5 miles of racing. It's almost completely flat and had just 4 corners (one of them pretty sharp).
All week, I've been bugging my teammates about "who wants to go in the breakaway with me?" Everyone said the same thing, "no breakaway ever succeeds in this race." I was determined to make one happen.
Luckily, my teammate Aaron started it. We were only about a mile or so into the race when he made a move. I waited for someone else to try to catch him, then jumped on his wheel. As we came out the next turn, there were six of us together.... and we had probably 50 yards on the group. We quickly formed a rotating paceline and kept the pace at 22 to 24 mph for the next 30 miles.
Back in the pack, the 20 other riders from QCW Cycling/breakawaybikes.com did everything they could to stop anyone from chasing us. They rode four across at a slow pace. They chased every breakaway attempt and messed with their rhythm. Basically, they did what good teammates did: keep the pack off us. I heard some rumblings that our pack got as much as five minutes ahead of the pack.
The six of us worked pretty smoothly together. With a mile left, we had a round of congratulations to each other for working together so well, exchanged a few pats on the back, then gunned it. I pulled alongside Aaron, tapped him to get his attention, and then took off with him on my wheel. My download showed us at 32.6 mph. Hardly a great sprint, but certainly hard to catch. I held the pace as long as I could, then moved off the front. Aaron shot past me going for the win.
About 10 feet back were three more riders. I got on their wheel, caught my breath for a second, then attacked again. Another rider countered and got in front of me. I was sure I had third when another rider flew by me and the rider in front of me to catch second.
I want to be upset about not seeing him coming and doing anything about it (I could have gotten on his wheel and caught the other guy for third), but I'm absolutely thrilled with a 4th place finish in an event of this caliber.
A few stats:
Distance: 31.5 miles
Finishing Time: 1:20:38
Avg Speed: 23.4 mph
Max Speed: 32.6 mph
Normalized Power: 256 watts
Max Power: 1057 watts
I know I was lucky to have a huge team presence this day and I was in the right place when the break happened. I didn't have any control over the team presence, but I did have control over my location in the pack.
Now I just have to live up to the results from today for the rest of the summer!
Lastly, my thoughts are with my teammates and fellow riders who crashed today, some of whom were seriously hurt.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Back in the Saddle Again
This week marked a major return to outdoor cycling for me. While I've been regularly riding the trainer all winter long, both at home and in the RPM classes, I have not been outside in quite a while. I had to look it up: my last ride outdoors was in November, when I did a 45 mile team ride. It had been almost a month before that since I had ridden outside then.
So I'm a little out of practice. I really wanted to get some mileage before the race next weekend.
This week, on Wednesday and Thursday, I went on a bike ride at lunch with a few guys from my new job. There are some decent roads for cycling and we did about 15 to 20 miles on both days. It also means I have to eat fast, so I'm not going for super-high-calorie meals at a sit down restaurant either. It's nice getting out at lunch. It definitely makes it easier to work on a nice day!
Friday, I rode about 45 miles out to Valley Forge. It was really great to be out for a long ride, but I was hurting. My hands, shoulders, back, and crotch were not used to the vibrations from the road. They were somewhere between numb and sore after about 20 miles.
Saturday, I was a bit of a space cadet. For some reason I thought the West River Time Trials started this week, so I was up and on the drive at 6:30 to warm up. Only after I was there did I realize that it's not for two more weeks. Oops....
I warmed up and did a time trial anyway. It was less than idea conditions, being about 47 degrees, windy (about 18 mph winds), and foggy. Still, my average power was the best it's ever been (250 watts) and my time was not that bad (21:53, about 22.6 mph). If I can do that same power on a nicer day, it should be a really good time (I'd guess right around 20:00, 24.8 mph). By comparison, my all time best out there is 19:42. I just might be getting close!
Today I was running late and missed the VV ride. I decided instead to just do laps around the West River Drive. I did 6 of them, keeping each lap around 220 watts . The wind was pretty harsh, really making me work. I totaled about 50 miles for the day in 2:32:00.
So, in classic "Tom style", I barely ride for 6 months and then do 155 miles in 5 days and seemed to just get stronger each day.
So I'm a little out of practice. I really wanted to get some mileage before the race next weekend.
This week, on Wednesday and Thursday, I went on a bike ride at lunch with a few guys from my new job. There are some decent roads for cycling and we did about 15 to 20 miles on both days. It also means I have to eat fast, so I'm not going for super-high-calorie meals at a sit down restaurant either. It's nice getting out at lunch. It definitely makes it easier to work on a nice day!
Friday, I rode about 45 miles out to Valley Forge. It was really great to be out for a long ride, but I was hurting. My hands, shoulders, back, and crotch were not used to the vibrations from the road. They were somewhere between numb and sore after about 20 miles.
Saturday, I was a bit of a space cadet. For some reason I thought the West River Time Trials started this week, so I was up and on the drive at 6:30 to warm up. Only after I was there did I realize that it's not for two more weeks. Oops....
I warmed up and did a time trial anyway. It was less than idea conditions, being about 47 degrees, windy (about 18 mph winds), and foggy. Still, my average power was the best it's ever been (250 watts) and my time was not that bad (21:53, about 22.6 mph). If I can do that same power on a nicer day, it should be a really good time (I'd guess right around 20:00, 24.8 mph). By comparison, my all time best out there is 19:42. I just might be getting close!
Today I was running late and missed the VV ride. I decided instead to just do laps around the West River Drive. I did 6 of them, keeping each lap around 220 watts . The wind was pretty harsh, really making me work. I totaled about 50 miles for the day in 2:32:00.
So, in classic "Tom style", I barely ride for 6 months and then do 155 miles in 5 days and seemed to just get stronger each day.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Resetting Goals
I'm really sore from the gym yesterday and now my shoulder is pretty sore from getting the tattoo finished. The spot inside my armpit changed my personal definition of pain.
With the complaining done, hopefully this week will be my first step back losing weight and trying to burn off another ~14 pounds. This morning, I was at 181.6 pounds.
I want to be down around 168 by July. As a reward, once I get below 170 pounds I'll be getting my right leg tattooed so I don't look like I have one black sock on anymore. I may not get it done until fall so I don't mess with the racing season too much.
While we're talking goals, This summer I'd also like to reach:
15% body fat
300 watt functional threshold power
1100 watt 5-second sprint
sub-20 minute West River Time Trial
With the complaining done, hopefully this week will be my first step back losing weight and trying to burn off another ~14 pounds. This morning, I was at 181.6 pounds.
I want to be down around 168 by July. As a reward, once I get below 170 pounds I'll be getting my right leg tattooed so I don't look like I have one black sock on anymore. I may not get it done until fall so I don't mess with the racing season too much.
While we're talking goals, This summer I'd also like to reach:
15% body fat
300 watt functional threshold power
1100 watt 5-second sprint
sub-20 minute West River Time Trial
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Round 2
Looking back at my weight loss journey, I realize that I really spent about 4 months both losing weight and gaining fitness, and then I spent the last several months gaining fitness (speed and power) but not losing weight anymore.
I think in order to lose the remaining weight, I'm going to have to treat it as a project, just like I did last time.
I've gained a couple pounds back in the last few weeks. My shoulder has been healing from the new tattoo, I've just finished my final projects for the semester for school, I've been preparing to start my new job, and now I've just had a minor surgery that will keep me off the bike for a week, just in time to go back for the last tattoo session on my shoulder next Sunday.
Once all that is over, I'm going to try the same routine I did last year:
Training
My weight is around 178 right now. I'd really like to be in the lower 160's by the end of the summer. Last year I lost 20 pounds in 4 months. If I can drop 16 pounds in 4 months this time around, I will be really happy.
I had planned on doing a lot of races this year. That hasn't changed. I still want to get into several crits and time trials. The competition will be great to keep my motivation up. In the long term, I have to remember that it's more important for me to be healthy and thinner than it is for me to be racing, though. I have to remember to make the weight loss a priority again.
I think in order to lose the remaining weight, I'm going to have to treat it as a project, just like I did last time.
I've gained a couple pounds back in the last few weeks. My shoulder has been healing from the new tattoo, I've just finished my final projects for the semester for school, I've been preparing to start my new job, and now I've just had a minor surgery that will keep me off the bike for a week, just in time to go back for the last tattoo session on my shoulder next Sunday.
Once all that is over, I'm going to try the same routine I did last year:
Training
- Saturday and Sunday outdoors on the bike
- Tuesday and Thursday on the trainer in the morning
- Tuesday and Thursday at the gym in the evening
- Eat 4 to 5 meals a day
- Cut down on the fast food
- Cut down on soda
My weight is around 178 right now. I'd really like to be in the lower 160's by the end of the summer. Last year I lost 20 pounds in 4 months. If I can drop 16 pounds in 4 months this time around, I will be really happy.
I had planned on doing a lot of races this year. That hasn't changed. I still want to get into several crits and time trials. The competition will be great to keep my motivation up. In the long term, I have to remember that it's more important for me to be healthy and thinner than it is for me to be racing, though. I have to remember to make the weight loss a priority again.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Didn't win but don't care
After yesterday's ride, I was feeling really confident and had only one goal: an average power of 260 watts. I didn't care if I was in last place as long as I got that power. That also meant that I might have to sacrifice my first place finish in order to keep the pace high.
Right from the start, we were pushing the pace. It was Rob, Mike, and I pushing the pace. No, let me correct that: it was me pushing the pace with Rob and Mike drafting me. That's pretty much how it was for the first 40 minutes. Then Mike dropped off the group. For the next hour, it was just Rob drafting me.
A few times Rob took a pull, but my power was dropping in his draft, so I had to stay on the fron almost the whole time. Keeping my average power high, I didn't have a lot extra to drop Rob.
On the final climb, just 400 feet long but at 7.5%, Rob sprinted by me and beat me by about 18 seconds. I just maintained a steady pace into the finish, quite happy to see my average power: 263 watts, which I maintained for 1:43:46. We even beat the group in the other bank by about 3 minutes.
I've gotten a few questions from people about wattage and how that translates to speed. The short answer is: it doesn't directly, and that's why we use it. Power is an absolute measure of how much force I'm putting out on the bike. 250 watts could be 24 mph on flat road but only 10 mph on a sleep climb or 45 mph on a steep descent. All of this is ignoring wind, of course where 250 watts on flat road could be 28 mph with a tail wind and 21 mph into a head wind.
Below are examples on relatively flat roads from my training records last year:
So what's next? Maybe I will hit 270 watts before I start serious speed work for the spring. I only have a couple more weeks, but it is a definite possibility.
Right from the start, we were pushing the pace. It was Rob, Mike, and I pushing the pace. No, let me correct that: it was me pushing the pace with Rob and Mike drafting me. That's pretty much how it was for the first 40 minutes. Then Mike dropped off the group. For the next hour, it was just Rob drafting me.
A few times Rob took a pull, but my power was dropping in his draft, so I had to stay on the fron almost the whole time. Keeping my average power high, I didn't have a lot extra to drop Rob.
On the final climb, just 400 feet long but at 7.5%, Rob sprinted by me and beat me by about 18 seconds. I just maintained a steady pace into the finish, quite happy to see my average power: 263 watts, which I maintained for 1:43:46. We even beat the group in the other bank by about 3 minutes.
I've gotten a few questions from people about wattage and how that translates to speed. The short answer is: it doesn't directly, and that's why we use it. Power is an absolute measure of how much force I'm putting out on the bike. 250 watts could be 24 mph on flat road but only 10 mph on a sleep climb or 45 mph on a steep descent. All of this is ignoring wind, of course where 250 watts on flat road could be 28 mph with a tail wind and 21 mph into a head wind.
Below are examples on relatively flat roads from my training records last year:
- Blueberry Time Trial, Avg Speed: 23.08 mph, Avg Power 222 watts
- 42K on West River Drive: Avg Speed 23.4 mph, Avg Power 232 watts
- West River Drive Time Trial, Avg Speed 24 mph, Avg Power 241 watts
- One-way on West Rover Drive, Avg Speed 25.7 mph Avg Power 256 watts
- 5 minute power test, Avg Speed 26.4 mph, Avg Power 299 watts
So what's next? Maybe I will hit 270 watts before I start serious speed work for the spring. I only have a couple more weeks, but it is a definite possibility.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
A new thing for me: Patience
Today in RPM we rode the Iron Man Switzerland course, a 37.33 mile course with 4 major climbs (6% or steeper) and a lo-o-o-o-o-o-ong 10 mile flat stretch at the end. I've always done pretty well on this course, even though I'm not a great climber. I am a decent time trialist and can really move on that last flat part. I knew today was going to be tough riding with a really strong bank of riders.
In the first few miles, the group formed up: Kevin, Rob, Kacy, and me. With that group, the pace was going to be high. Kevin made a couple attacks. I immediately responded, making sure that he know I was watching and if he broke away, I was going with him. Mike, another strong rider on the team, quickly made it apparent that he was taking it easy today. I was kind of disappointed since he has beaten me a couple times and I'm always game for a rematch. As we move into the racing season, I'm betting that Mike and I will be working together in a lot of races. Our power levels are pretty close and he's a decent guy (if he reads this, he'll probably fall over from the shock that I said something nice. I gave him crap the whole ride for taking it easy today).
When we hit the first climb, just 10 minutes in, I gunned it as hard as I could. I had a gap almost immediately and rode away from the rest of the group. Once I had about 200 feet, I slowed down to a comfortable pace. It was early and I didn't want to burn out early. Rob and Kacy caught me before the top of the climb. Kevin was off the back and losing ground fast. I drifted to the back of the pack and drafted Rob and Kacy.
We rode together pretty calmly until the next climb, when I made a move again. Once again, I got about 200 feet ahead, then matched or slightly exceeded their speed the rest of the way up the hill. When I reached the top, I had to make a decision. Did I think that I could hold off Rob and Kacy for another hour and twenty minutes? I decided not to take the risk. I held a decent pace on the descent, but didn't push too hard so they would have to work harder than I was if they wanted to catch me. Once they caught me, I drifted back into the draft and took it easy.
On the third and fourth climbs, I did the same: shoot away at the base of the climb, slow down at the top, and wait for them to catch me.
As we approached the 10-mile flat road, I started planning the rest of the race. I figured if I attacked, one of two things would happen:
Option 1: Rob would sprint after me, leaving Kacy behind. I'd have to either shake Rob off on the road or outsprint him at the line. Not knowing his fitness level, this was pretty risky. Rob is a track guy, so I'd rather not try to outsprint him at the finish.
Option 2: Rob would stay with Kacy. This was risky for me because I wasn't sure if I could hold them both off for 10 miles. If I cracked and they caught me, I may not have the energy left to stay with them.
I know Kacy is strong, but I didn't think she would be able to bring me back if I attacked.
My average power up to this point was pretty low, at 241 watts. Since I'd been hitting the 250's lately, I figured that meant that I still had a lot of energy to burn. It was time to throw down.
I jumped out of the saddle, accelerating from 22 to 27 mph. I stayed out of the saddle until I had ridden them both off my wheel. Rob wasn't countering. Crap. That meant I had to worry about burning out alone on the road. When my lead reached 100 feet, I sat back down, but kept the pace at about 23 to 24 mph.
For the next 10 miles, I had one mission: match or exceed Rob and Kacy's speed. As long as I could keep them a few hundred feet behind me, I would have some time to react if they started getting close. Once my lead reached 500 feet, I figured I was pretty safe, but I still kept an eye on them.
I was safely pulling away almost the entire time. At one point, it looked like they picked up the pace to about 25 mph and started pulling me back. I accelerated to 26 mph and held it until I had gained another hundred feet on them.
All the way to the finish line, I kept watching their speed and mine, paranoid that if I let my attention drift, they would catch me.
It never happened. By the time I hit the finish line, I had about a third of a mile (1760 feet) lead on them, which at that speed translated to 49 seconds.
By the time I hit the finish, my average power had increased to 254 watts. To increase my average power by that much that fast, I must have been doing about 280 to 290 watts for the last half hour or so. I was kind of surprised. It felt like I was working, but not nearly that hard.
The big surprise for me was how long I waited to make my move. It's not like me to be patient in a race. I always want to crush people right at the starting line, even though I know that I'm not strong enough to do it.
After the ride, my shoulder was pretty sore. I got a new tattoo started on my shoulder on Thursday and my bib shorts were digging into it quite a bit. Another day or two and it should be OK, but today and tomorrow's RPM rides will be a little less comfortable because of it.
I'm usually stronger the second day of RPM. Tomorrow I'm really hoping that I can hit a new record. I want to hit 260 watts for my average.
In the first few miles, the group formed up: Kevin, Rob, Kacy, and me. With that group, the pace was going to be high. Kevin made a couple attacks. I immediately responded, making sure that he know I was watching and if he broke away, I was going with him. Mike, another strong rider on the team, quickly made it apparent that he was taking it easy today. I was kind of disappointed since he has beaten me a couple times and I'm always game for a rematch. As we move into the racing season, I'm betting that Mike and I will be working together in a lot of races. Our power levels are pretty close and he's a decent guy (if he reads this, he'll probably fall over from the shock that I said something nice. I gave him crap the whole ride for taking it easy today).
When we hit the first climb, just 10 minutes in, I gunned it as hard as I could. I had a gap almost immediately and rode away from the rest of the group. Once I had about 200 feet, I slowed down to a comfortable pace. It was early and I didn't want to burn out early. Rob and Kacy caught me before the top of the climb. Kevin was off the back and losing ground fast. I drifted to the back of the pack and drafted Rob and Kacy.
We rode together pretty calmly until the next climb, when I made a move again. Once again, I got about 200 feet ahead, then matched or slightly exceeded their speed the rest of the way up the hill. When I reached the top, I had to make a decision. Did I think that I could hold off Rob and Kacy for another hour and twenty minutes? I decided not to take the risk. I held a decent pace on the descent, but didn't push too hard so they would have to work harder than I was if they wanted to catch me. Once they caught me, I drifted back into the draft and took it easy.
On the third and fourth climbs, I did the same: shoot away at the base of the climb, slow down at the top, and wait for them to catch me.
As we approached the 10-mile flat road, I started planning the rest of the race. I figured if I attacked, one of two things would happen:
Option 1: Rob would sprint after me, leaving Kacy behind. I'd have to either shake Rob off on the road or outsprint him at the line. Not knowing his fitness level, this was pretty risky. Rob is a track guy, so I'd rather not try to outsprint him at the finish.
Option 2: Rob would stay with Kacy. This was risky for me because I wasn't sure if I could hold them both off for 10 miles. If I cracked and they caught me, I may not have the energy left to stay with them.
I know Kacy is strong, but I didn't think she would be able to bring me back if I attacked.
My average power up to this point was pretty low, at 241 watts. Since I'd been hitting the 250's lately, I figured that meant that I still had a lot of energy to burn. It was time to throw down.
I jumped out of the saddle, accelerating from 22 to 27 mph. I stayed out of the saddle until I had ridden them both off my wheel. Rob wasn't countering. Crap. That meant I had to worry about burning out alone on the road. When my lead reached 100 feet, I sat back down, but kept the pace at about 23 to 24 mph.
For the next 10 miles, I had one mission: match or exceed Rob and Kacy's speed. As long as I could keep them a few hundred feet behind me, I would have some time to react if they started getting close. Once my lead reached 500 feet, I figured I was pretty safe, but I still kept an eye on them.
I was safely pulling away almost the entire time. At one point, it looked like they picked up the pace to about 25 mph and started pulling me back. I accelerated to 26 mph and held it until I had gained another hundred feet on them.
All the way to the finish line, I kept watching their speed and mine, paranoid that if I let my attention drift, they would catch me.
It never happened. By the time I hit the finish line, I had about a third of a mile (1760 feet) lead on them, which at that speed translated to 49 seconds.
By the time I hit the finish, my average power had increased to 254 watts. To increase my average power by that much that fast, I must have been doing about 280 to 290 watts for the last half hour or so. I was kind of surprised. It felt like I was working, but not nearly that hard.
The big surprise for me was how long I waited to make my move. It's not like me to be patient in a race. I always want to crush people right at the starting line, even though I know that I'm not strong enough to do it.
After the ride, my shoulder was pretty sore. I got a new tattoo started on my shoulder on Thursday and my bib shorts were digging into it quite a bit. Another day or two and it should be OK, but today and tomorrow's RPM rides will be a little less comfortable because of it.
I'm usually stronger the second day of RPM. Tomorrow I'm really hoping that I can hit a new record. I want to hit 260 watts for my average.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
A nice number for a computer guy
256 holds a special significance in the computer world. It's the number of possibilities in one byte of information, it's a common multiple for memory, and it's just 2 to the 8th power.
It's also my average wattage today, 4 watts better than my previous best. I had no help at all. I was alone from the very start, leaving the bank of riders I was in right from the start, so I did 1:42:12 completely alone. I totally buried myself to do it.
My average wattage fluctuated between 255 and 257 watts for the last hour or so. I tried as hard as I could to keep my average in that range. I really wanted 256 for an average. The last 10 minutes, I could barely hang on. I couldn't really think straight, I couldn't see, and I couldn't speak. I was just pedaling as hard as I could. I kept a mental countdown running in my head as I watched my distance covered number. It was a 38.2 mile course. It was actually the same Stage 2 course we used for the Tour de Breakaway three weeks ago. It was a lot easier with people to draft. I was 5 minutes slower today than I was then but I worked a lot harder for it. I averaged 246 watts that day.
When I was done, the first thing I did was cough for about 10 minutes straight. Once my heart rate came down a little bit (from 178 BPM) and I could breathe again, I went over to the other bank to see how they did. I beat them by 3 minutes.
Awesome. That made my day.
I got back on the bike and kept cooling down. My legs were killing me, I kept coughing every few minutes, and my heart rate took forever to come down to my normal range. I didn't care. I had my best day ever on the trainer.
Let's look at a couple numbers. A "good" off season is one where your power increases by about 10%. This year, from October to the present, I've increased my power for these long courses from 205 watts to 256 watts. That's almost a 25% improvement. With the rapid rate of improvement I've seen, I'm wondering if I could hit 260 or 265 watts in the remaining RPM classes. It would be really great if I could. It would be an amazing foundation to start the serious speed work on in the spring.
Oh yeah, and sitting around with a cold all week and eating like crazy, I'm up a pound to 176.
It's also my average wattage today, 4 watts better than my previous best. I had no help at all. I was alone from the very start, leaving the bank of riders I was in right from the start, so I did 1:42:12 completely alone. I totally buried myself to do it.
My average wattage fluctuated between 255 and 257 watts for the last hour or so. I tried as hard as I could to keep my average in that range. I really wanted 256 for an average. The last 10 minutes, I could barely hang on. I couldn't really think straight, I couldn't see, and I couldn't speak. I was just pedaling as hard as I could. I kept a mental countdown running in my head as I watched my distance covered number. It was a 38.2 mile course. It was actually the same Stage 2 course we used for the Tour de Breakaway three weeks ago. It was a lot easier with people to draft. I was 5 minutes slower today than I was then but I worked a lot harder for it. I averaged 246 watts that day.
When I was done, the first thing I did was cough for about 10 minutes straight. Once my heart rate came down a little bit (from 178 BPM) and I could breathe again, I went over to the other bank to see how they did. I beat them by 3 minutes.
Awesome. That made my day.
I got back on the bike and kept cooling down. My legs were killing me, I kept coughing every few minutes, and my heart rate took forever to come down to my normal range. I didn't care. I had my best day ever on the trainer.
Let's look at a couple numbers. A "good" off season is one where your power increases by about 10%. This year, from October to the present, I've increased my power for these long courses from 205 watts to 256 watts. That's almost a 25% improvement. With the rapid rate of improvement I've seen, I'm wondering if I could hit 260 or 265 watts in the remaining RPM classes. It would be really great if I could. It would be an amazing foundation to start the serious speed work on in the spring.
Oh yeah, and sitting around with a cold all week and eating like crazy, I'm up a pound to 176.
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