I've done a lot of time trials in my life. Most of them are the 8.3 mile West River Time Trial in Philly, which I've done several times a year since 2004. I've done a few 20Ks (12.4 miles) and a couple random distances here and there. But there's nothing like a 40K (24.8 miles).
For most people, that's between 50 minutes (for the elite) and and 1 hour 10 minutes (for the normal people). In order to do well, you need to keep the pace high, but not so high that you burn out part way through. You also don't want to hold back too much and finish feeling like you could have gone harder. Done right, you should hit the finish line and almost collapse.
This course in Cambridge, MD is dead flat. It's kind of a deformed square with 3 turns and no turnaround to worry about. That region is known for its high winds, but the forecast was not calling for anything too bad.
Given my recent training numbers, I was aiming for a time of 1:04:00 and an average power of about 235 to 240 watts.
I'd been watching the weather all week. There was a 50% chance of rain, which would made the race even less fun. What I should have been watching out for was the temperature.
The adventure began the day before, when Shelli and I drove down. A really dark set of clouds rolled in just as we were leaving, giving us the last moment of dryness for the entire trip. It poured almost the whole time.
Making things worse, my GPS unit decided that the best way to go was to go about 30 miles out of our way to the east. I thought the estimated time was a lot higher than what Google Maps had said, but I thought maybe it was just a difference in the anticipated speed settings. Nope. What should have been about a 3 hour drive (without traffic) was more of a 4 hour drive. In the pouring rain.
Race morning was better. Sort of. It was sunny with light winds. It was also hot and humid. It was 80 when I got on the trainer to start warming up. Luckily, I'd planned ahead a little. I drank two bottles of Cytomax before I had even gotten there and had another one while I was on the trainer. I did not want to dehydrate out there. I knew it was going to be rough in the heat just watching my heart rate climb.
I set up my power meter to show me current power, average power, heart rate, and distance. I wanted to know where I was in the race and how my pacing was going. I didn't have time showing.
The race itself is a bit of a blur. I remember that the first 4 or 5 miles were brand new pavement with a touch of a tailwind. It was beautiful. I probably went a little too hard in this section since it was so nice. After turn 1, we had 3 or 4 miles of really bumpy pavement, which had my aero bars vibrating in my hands. After turn 2, the winds started kicking up, just as the heat started really getting to me. I think the winds kept me cooler, even though they made me work harder. After turn 3, I was really hurting. My heart rate was brushing into the 170's and all I could think was "keep pedaling." A few times I got out of the saddle and pushed it hard for a few strokes just to try to keep my legs moving.
Usually you'll give it whatever you've got for the last few miles of a time trial. I was already there. I tried accelerating, tried picking it up, it was all I had already. The last 500 meters, I think I was able to give it just a tiny bit more, but not a lot. I had given it absolutely all that I had. I hit the line, shifted to a lighter gear, coasted, let out a huge sigh, and dropped my head to relax my neck a bit... then I remembered to hit the button on the computer. When I looked down, I saw it say 1:03:05. Even missing several seconds, I was still a minute better than my goal.
My power numbers were not so great. I was aiming for 235 to 240 watts. My average was 231. It's still not a bad number, I just wanted to do better. I think the heat took a little bit of a toll on me.
After the race, I could barely move. It kept riding to cool down a little, but that was at about 5 mph. My legs were cooked and I was sweating like crazy. Luckily Shelli was right there to let me in the car so we could crank up the air conditioning and get me another bottle of Cytomax.
The numbers from the download:
Total Distance: 40K (24.8 miles)
Time: 1:02:49 (I was coasting longer than I thought before I hit the button!)
Average Speed: 23.7 mph
Average Power: 231 watts
Average Heart Rate: 168 BPM
On an equipment note, this was the first race with my Rudy Project Wingspan helmet and my new Oakley Jawbone sunglasses with polarized vented lenses.
The helmet was great. For a hot day like this, you can open up the vent in the front and open the underside of the rail, sacrificing a little aerodynamics in the name of better ventilation. It worked great.
The glasses performed great as well. Even though it was pretty humid, they didn't fog up once. When I was riding almost straight into the sun, I could still see perfectly.
I still have two more time trials to go, both of them 20K. They will be shorter, but that just means I can go faster :-)
My morning weight today was 181.4. I've only lost 1.4 pounds in the last three weeks, but at least I'm moving in the right direction!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Melting in the Sun
The last month has not been great for me. I caught a really bad flu that kept me out of work for a week and off the bike another week after that. I eased back into training, but it was another week before I could ride at full intensity again. In the process, my weight went up 4 pounds and my threshold power dropped about 10 watts.
When I showed up at the PA Masters State Time Trial yesterday, I had no dreams of glory. I just wanted to survive.
Looking over my training data for the last few months, my best 30 minute power was 260 watts. I expected this time trial to last about 32 minutes, so I figured 255 to 260 watts average was the absolute best I could hope for.
The heat made that goal even harder. It's been in the 90's for about a month now and I've done everything I could to stay out of that kind of heat. Mostly I've been riding the trainer instead of riding outside. I've never dealt with high heat and humidity very well and this year I'm completely not adapted to it since I've been avoiding it; so when the temperature at the start line was 82, I new that I was not in for a good day.
I got in a good start and quickly found a pace that felt about right. The course is almost constantly climbing or descending, with very little flat road, so it's critical that you pace yourself. Don't attack too hard on the climbs and don't relax on the downhills. It's really not a course that suits me well, but it is a really pretty course and the race is really well run.
About a mile in, I could feel the sweat just pouring out of my helmet any time I shifted my weight just a little. Not good. Not to mention, I'd be in the direct sun for about the first 7 miles of the 12.6 mile course. I'd be on the shady side of the road on the way back.
I hit the turnaround at 257 watts (normalized), so I was really happy. I felt awful, with my heart rate holding at 165 bpm and sweat just pouring down my face, arms, and chest.
I also made a rookie mistake in the turnaround: I was in WAY too big of a gear. As soon as I was out of the turn I stood up to try to accelerate and I was met with a ton of resistance. I'm sure that cost me 10 seconds right there.
The way back is much more downhill than the way out, but it has a couple solid climbs. As much as I could, I kept pushing on the descents (hitting 39 mph on a couple occasions) but on the climbs I just didn't have the power that I did on the way out. I was really struggling. I couldn't breathe very well and my legs just felt week. It wasn't the classic "I'm working too hard" feeling of pushing really hard. It was the "I'm overheating and my body isn't keeping up" feeling. My heart rate was climbing to 170 bpm.
I hit the finish line at a time of 33:30. It was over a minute faster than last year, so that was good. I was disappointed though since my fitness is better than last year in almost every measurable way. I'm 3 pounds lighter, my threshold is 10 watts higher than last year, and my time trial position is more efficient than last year. I think it all came down to the heat.
Some numbers:
Morning weight: 182.8 pounds (yes, I still have dreams of being 174 by the wedding)
Total
Distance: 12.6 miles
Time: 33:31
Avg Speed: 22.3 mph
Norm Power: 250 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 166 BPM
Total calories burned: 480
On the way out:
Distance: 6.8 miles
Time: 18:55
Avg Speed: 21. 7 mph
Norm Power: 257 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 165 BPM
On the way back:
Distance: 5.8 miles
Time: 14:35
Avg Speed: 23.2 mph
Norm Power: 240 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 170 BPM
When I showed up at the PA Masters State Time Trial yesterday, I had no dreams of glory. I just wanted to survive.
Looking over my training data for the last few months, my best 30 minute power was 260 watts. I expected this time trial to last about 32 minutes, so I figured 255 to 260 watts average was the absolute best I could hope for.
The heat made that goal even harder. It's been in the 90's for about a month now and I've done everything I could to stay out of that kind of heat. Mostly I've been riding the trainer instead of riding outside. I've never dealt with high heat and humidity very well and this year I'm completely not adapted to it since I've been avoiding it; so when the temperature at the start line was 82, I new that I was not in for a good day.
I got in a good start and quickly found a pace that felt about right. The course is almost constantly climbing or descending, with very little flat road, so it's critical that you pace yourself. Don't attack too hard on the climbs and don't relax on the downhills. It's really not a course that suits me well, but it is a really pretty course and the race is really well run.
About a mile in, I could feel the sweat just pouring out of my helmet any time I shifted my weight just a little. Not good. Not to mention, I'd be in the direct sun for about the first 7 miles of the 12.6 mile course. I'd be on the shady side of the road on the way back.
I hit the turnaround at 257 watts (normalized), so I was really happy. I felt awful, with my heart rate holding at 165 bpm and sweat just pouring down my face, arms, and chest.
I also made a rookie mistake in the turnaround: I was in WAY too big of a gear. As soon as I was out of the turn I stood up to try to accelerate and I was met with a ton of resistance. I'm sure that cost me 10 seconds right there.
The way back is much more downhill than the way out, but it has a couple solid climbs. As much as I could, I kept pushing on the descents (hitting 39 mph on a couple occasions) but on the climbs I just didn't have the power that I did on the way out. I was really struggling. I couldn't breathe very well and my legs just felt week. It wasn't the classic "I'm working too hard" feeling of pushing really hard. It was the "I'm overheating and my body isn't keeping up" feeling. My heart rate was climbing to 170 bpm.
I hit the finish line at a time of 33:30. It was over a minute faster than last year, so that was good. I was disappointed though since my fitness is better than last year in almost every measurable way. I'm 3 pounds lighter, my threshold is 10 watts higher than last year, and my time trial position is more efficient than last year. I think it all came down to the heat.
Some numbers:
Morning weight: 182.8 pounds (yes, I still have dreams of being 174 by the wedding)
Total
Distance: 12.6 miles
Time: 33:31
Avg Speed: 22.3 mph
Norm Power: 250 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 166 BPM
Total calories burned: 480
On the way out:
Distance: 6.8 miles
Time: 18:55
Avg Speed: 21. 7 mph
Norm Power: 257 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 165 BPM
On the way back:
Distance: 5.8 miles
Time: 14:35
Avg Speed: 23.2 mph
Norm Power: 240 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 170 BPM
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Just a Second
The West River Time Trial has been a regular event for me for years. It's an 8.35 mile, out-and-back time trial on flat roads (that are closed to car traffic) with a couple short rises that are little more than speed bumps.
For many people, 20:00 is a goal time. It's a nice round number that is just a hair faster than 25 mph, so it requires a fair bit if fitness but you don't need to be a professional cyclist to do it (those guys are going it in 17:00 or less (30 mph)).
The last time I was under 20:00 was 2006, when I did it in 19:42 (25.4 mph). I really want to get back to that kind of speed and maybe even better this year.
I've been training like a mad man focusing on time trial efforts specifically. I moved my handlebars a tiny bit lower, which made me much more comfortable and (apparently) more efficient as well.
After last week's longer time trial, I had a better idea of what numbers to aim for today. Time trial strategy is normally to hold back a little in the first half and then go harder the second half (and even harder yet in the last quarter).
It was kind of a gray, windy morning with the winds blowing strongly from behind for the first mile on the way out and then from various directions once the road starts to bend around. Unfortunately that also meant that for the last mile coming back, the wind would be completely against us.
Days like today are when the power meter really helps me to stay on target. With the tail wind, I was holding about 26 to 27 mph the first couple miles. Psychologically that feels way too fast when I'm aiming for an average of 25 mph. The number I was really aiming for was a power average of 245 to 250 on the way out. At that power and with that tail wind, I was just at the right speed.
The way back was the same. I knew that I wanted to average 260 to 270 on the way back. With the variable direction winds for the first three miles, that meant my speed was all over the place, but I knew I was holding the right power output.
The last mile was every bit as brutal as I expected. My speed was down to 22 mph and I was going as hard as I could. I knew it would going to be close.
I looked down at my power meter as I crossed the line: 20:01. So Close!!!
One lousy second over.
Where could I have made up a second? Almost anywhere. I could have gotten clipped in a little faster on the start. I could have cut the curves in the road a little tighter, taking a few feet off the course. I could have turned around just a hair faster. I could have watched my power a little closer and avoided the couple times when it dropped as I was coaxed into a false sense of achievement by the high speeds from the tail wind. I could have sprinted just an instant earlier for the finish line.
Sometimes I get so focused on pedaling as hard as I can that I forget about the little things that can cost me time.
The joys of time trialing....
A few numbers:
Total Distance: 8.35
Total Time: 20:01
Time to turnaround: 9:38
Time back: 10:23
Average Speed: 25.03 mph
Average Power: 260 watts
Morning weight: 179.8
Body fat percentage: 19.6%
For many people, 20:00 is a goal time. It's a nice round number that is just a hair faster than 25 mph, so it requires a fair bit if fitness but you don't need to be a professional cyclist to do it (those guys are going it in 17:00 or less (30 mph)).
The last time I was under 20:00 was 2006, when I did it in 19:42 (25.4 mph). I really want to get back to that kind of speed and maybe even better this year.
I've been training like a mad man focusing on time trial efforts specifically. I moved my handlebars a tiny bit lower, which made me much more comfortable and (apparently) more efficient as well.
After last week's longer time trial, I had a better idea of what numbers to aim for today. Time trial strategy is normally to hold back a little in the first half and then go harder the second half (and even harder yet in the last quarter).
It was kind of a gray, windy morning with the winds blowing strongly from behind for the first mile on the way out and then from various directions once the road starts to bend around. Unfortunately that also meant that for the last mile coming back, the wind would be completely against us.
Days like today are when the power meter really helps me to stay on target. With the tail wind, I was holding about 26 to 27 mph the first couple miles. Psychologically that feels way too fast when I'm aiming for an average of 25 mph. The number I was really aiming for was a power average of 245 to 250 on the way out. At that power and with that tail wind, I was just at the right speed.
The way back was the same. I knew that I wanted to average 260 to 270 on the way back. With the variable direction winds for the first three miles, that meant my speed was all over the place, but I knew I was holding the right power output.
The last mile was every bit as brutal as I expected. My speed was down to 22 mph and I was going as hard as I could. I knew it would going to be close.
I looked down at my power meter as I crossed the line: 20:01. So Close!!!
One lousy second over.
Where could I have made up a second? Almost anywhere. I could have gotten clipped in a little faster on the start. I could have cut the curves in the road a little tighter, taking a few feet off the course. I could have turned around just a hair faster. I could have watched my power a little closer and avoided the couple times when it dropped as I was coaxed into a false sense of achievement by the high speeds from the tail wind. I could have sprinted just an instant earlier for the finish line.
Sometimes I get so focused on pedaling as hard as I can that I forget about the little things that can cost me time.
The joys of time trialing....
A few numbers:
Total Distance: 8.35
Total Time: 20:01
Time to turnaround: 9:38
Time back: 10:23
Average Speed: 25.03 mph
Average Power: 260 watts
Morning weight: 179.8
Body fat percentage: 19.6%
Saturday, May 7, 2011
From the Belly of the Beast
I'd bet not too many people can say that they've ridden their bike inside a plane, let alone out the back of one.
Today was the C-130 time trial in Dover, DE. It starts in the cargo bay of a C-130 cargo plane. I roll down the ramp, through a few tight turns, then I'm off the airfield and onto a very flat, straight road. It was 11 miles out and 10 miles back with pretty strong (15 mph) winds against me the whole way out and with me the whole way back.
In other words, it was a blast!
The way out was definitely a challenge. I had to keep reminding myself not to go too hard. With a strong wind and only seeing about a 22 mph average, it was all I could do to restrain myself. Especially once someone passed me.
Part of the fun was playing cat and mouse with a guy who had passed me about 7 miles out. I caught him before the turnaround and pulled ahead. We went through the turn almost together, then he pulled ahead of me again right after.... for now...
The turnaround was among the coolest I've ever done. Instead of just a cone in the road that you have to slow down to a crawl to get around, the turnaround was at the split of a fork in the road. We went slightly past the split (maybe 50 yards) then turned left onto a very short road, then left again to go back the way we were coming.
Once out of the turnaround, I picked up the pace just a little. I still had 10 miles to go and didn't want to burn out. With the tail wind, the speed was much higher, seeing speeds consistently around 26 to 28 mph. I kept the guy who had passed me in my sights, about 15 seconds in front of me.
With six miles to go, I decided to go for it. I shifted up two gears, accelerated, and roared past the guy in front of me. I never saw him again. My cadence was a little slow, but I always loved mashing a big gear like that. With the tail wind's help, I held around 30 mph.
With just a mile to go, I was hurting. Almost 50 minutes in, my legs and lungs were just on fire. I pushed a little harder, trying to get just a little more speed as we came around a curve and the wind turned against me. It was in my face but I still kept on going.
I crossed the line, 52:09.
Some numbers:
Total time: 52:09
Total Distance: 21 miles
Avg Speed: 24.1 mph
Avg Power: 245 watts
Avg Speed out: 22.1 mph
Avg Power out: 240 watts
Avg Speed back: 27.1 mph
Avg Power back: 252 watts
Rather interestingly, my speed and power were identical to the West River Time Trial last weekend, where I also averaged 24.1 mph and 245 watts, but for only 8.35 miles. I need to pick up the pace a little there!
P.S.: I placed 12 out of 22. I'm not a great time trialist, so I'm happy with that result. The guy I was alternating got a time only 3 seconds better than mine in the end (remember, he started 30 seconds behind me, so I pulled ahead of him by 27 seconds in 6 miles). If only I'd gone just a bit harder!
Today was the C-130 time trial in Dover, DE. It starts in the cargo bay of a C-130 cargo plane. I roll down the ramp, through a few tight turns, then I'm off the airfield and onto a very flat, straight road. It was 11 miles out and 10 miles back with pretty strong (15 mph) winds against me the whole way out and with me the whole way back.
In other words, it was a blast!
The way out was definitely a challenge. I had to keep reminding myself not to go too hard. With a strong wind and only seeing about a 22 mph average, it was all I could do to restrain myself. Especially once someone passed me.
Part of the fun was playing cat and mouse with a guy who had passed me about 7 miles out. I caught him before the turnaround and pulled ahead. We went through the turn almost together, then he pulled ahead of me again right after.... for now...
The turnaround was among the coolest I've ever done. Instead of just a cone in the road that you have to slow down to a crawl to get around, the turnaround was at the split of a fork in the road. We went slightly past the split (maybe 50 yards) then turned left onto a very short road, then left again to go back the way we were coming.
Once out of the turnaround, I picked up the pace just a little. I still had 10 miles to go and didn't want to burn out. With the tail wind, the speed was much higher, seeing speeds consistently around 26 to 28 mph. I kept the guy who had passed me in my sights, about 15 seconds in front of me.
With six miles to go, I decided to go for it. I shifted up two gears, accelerated, and roared past the guy in front of me. I never saw him again. My cadence was a little slow, but I always loved mashing a big gear like that. With the tail wind's help, I held around 30 mph.
With just a mile to go, I was hurting. Almost 50 minutes in, my legs and lungs were just on fire. I pushed a little harder, trying to get just a little more speed as we came around a curve and the wind turned against me. It was in my face but I still kept on going.
I crossed the line, 52:09.
Some numbers:
Total time: 52:09
Total Distance: 21 miles
Avg Speed: 24.1 mph
Avg Power: 245 watts
Avg Speed out: 22.1 mph
Avg Power out: 240 watts
Avg Speed back: 27.1 mph
Avg Power back: 252 watts
Rather interestingly, my speed and power were identical to the West River Time Trial last weekend, where I also averaged 24.1 mph and 245 watts, but for only 8.35 miles. I need to pick up the pace a little there!
P.S.: I placed 12 out of 22. I'm not a great time trialist, so I'm happy with that result. The guy I was alternating got a time only 3 seconds better than mine in the end (remember, he started 30 seconds behind me, so I pulled ahead of him by 27 seconds in 6 miles). If only I'd gone just a bit harder!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Going long
After doing 8 races in 6 weekends, I had this weekend off. It was kind of nice, actually.
It rained like crazy on Saturday, so I spent about 2 hours on the trainer watching a bike race on DVD.
On Sunday, I went for a super-long 4 hour and 10 minute ride covering 73 miles. I kept the pace pretty easy. I was really happy to see a 17.5 mph average for the day. Since it was a pretty flat course, the speed was not hard to maintain.
My weight is at 180.2, so I'm just creeping up on 10 pounds lost for the year.
Next weekend, I don't have any races and my parents are in town. After that, I have a few cool races coming up. There's a time trial that starts inside a C-130 cargo plane and a race around an oval course with no turns! The weekend after that, there's a crit on an airport runway!
It rained like crazy on Saturday, so I spent about 2 hours on the trainer watching a bike race on DVD.
On Sunday, I went for a super-long 4 hour and 10 minute ride covering 73 miles. I kept the pace pretty easy. I was really happy to see a 17.5 mph average for the day. Since it was a pretty flat course, the speed was not hard to maintain.
My weight is at 180.2, so I'm just creeping up on 10 pounds lost for the year.
Next weekend, I don't have any races and my parents are in town. After that, I have a few cool races coming up. There's a time trial that starts inside a C-130 cargo plane and a race around an oval course with no turns! The weekend after that, there's a crit on an airport runway!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Two for One
Yesterday I had planned on doing Soyoco, but the forecast for 40 degrees, pouring rain, and 25+ mph winds caused me to skip it.
Time trial:
Today I did two races near Carlisle, PA: a 20K time trial and a 7.4 mile hill climb.
The 20K was supposed to be a 40K, but the course was partially flooded from yesterday's very heavy rain, so I opted for the shorter distance (it was about 150 yards of 4" deep water with rapidly moving current. No thanks.).
Like yesterday, today was VERY windy. The Weather Channel said that the winds at the start time were 26 mph. Ouch.
Making matters worse, I got almost no warm-up. I misread the directions for the day, so we were at the wrong end of the course looking for the start. I got there with just enough time to get my number, pin it on, and get to the start.
The course was rolling hills, with some steeper than others. Without the wind, I think it would have been really fun. With the wind, though, I could barely use the aero bars on my bike. I spent most of the 10K out to the turnaround wrestling with my bike trying to keep it from blowing across the road. I really struggled to keep my speed up, but between the rolling terrain and the wind, I really had a hard time finding or holding a decent pace. A few times the wind whipped around me enough that I had a hard time breathing.
After the turnaround was like another world. Suddenly the wind was at my back and the course was more downhill than uphill. My speed was much higher than on the way out. I still fought with the bike a little, but it was much easier to control. My speed was so high on the descents that I had a hard time keeping my power high enough while still keeping my speed where I felt in control of the bike (did I mention that I've only ridden that bike for 40 miles since last July?).
Some numbers to put it in perspective:
Total Distance: 20K (12.4 miles)
Total time: 34:26
Average Speed: 21.6 mph
Average Power: 234 watts (248 normalized)
Time to turnaround: 20:32
Time back to start: 13:54
Average Speed to Turnaround: 18.0 mph
Average Speed back to start: 26.9 mph
Like I said, quite the difference.
Hill Climb:
Let me put this in no uncertain terms: I have a new favorite event: the South Mountain Hill Climb.
The hill climb was among the most fun things I've ever done, and I finished dead last! (by about 25 seconds).
It starts out with a very slight uphill for the first 2.5 miles. There were only 9 of us and we really pushed the pace for those first few miles. Then we hit the first real climb.
I was the second one to drop off the pack. After that, I just held as high of a pace as I thought I could sustain for the rest of the climb.
I had explored the course on MapMyRide.com to get an idea of where the steeper sections were and what landmarks I could tell them by. I also kept my bike computer in mileage mode so I could see just how far I had gone (and so I knew how far I had to go).
With about 2 miles to go, the guy who was behind me passed me pretty quickly. I was doing 11 mph, he was probably doing 12. At that speed, there's not much draft, but I couldn't hang onto his wheel anyway. Once he got about 50 yards in front of me, his pace dropped enough that I could keep him in sight but I couldn't bring him back.
With about 400 yards to go, there's a slight downhill, then a flat stretch, I sprinted like a lunatic, just trying to get the best time I could. I hit 27 mph.
Since I could get into a rhythm on the climb, my power numbers were much better than they were in the time trial.
Some numbers on the hill climb:
Total Distance: 7.4 miles
Total Time: 32:52
Average Speed: 13.5 mph
Average Power: 268 watts (275 normalized)
Total vertical climb: 1540 feet
I really loved the hill climb. It was a totally new challenge. I was by far the heaviest rider there. Everyone else was my height but probably 20 pounds lighter. I didn't care. It was my first time and I was there for the experience.
Now I have even more incentive to lose as much weight as I can.
Time trial:
Today I did two races near Carlisle, PA: a 20K time trial and a 7.4 mile hill climb.
The 20K was supposed to be a 40K, but the course was partially flooded from yesterday's very heavy rain, so I opted for the shorter distance (it was about 150 yards of 4" deep water with rapidly moving current. No thanks.).
Like yesterday, today was VERY windy. The Weather Channel said that the winds at the start time were 26 mph. Ouch.
Making matters worse, I got almost no warm-up. I misread the directions for the day, so we were at the wrong end of the course looking for the start. I got there with just enough time to get my number, pin it on, and get to the start.
The course was rolling hills, with some steeper than others. Without the wind, I think it would have been really fun. With the wind, though, I could barely use the aero bars on my bike. I spent most of the 10K out to the turnaround wrestling with my bike trying to keep it from blowing across the road. I really struggled to keep my speed up, but between the rolling terrain and the wind, I really had a hard time finding or holding a decent pace. A few times the wind whipped around me enough that I had a hard time breathing.
After the turnaround was like another world. Suddenly the wind was at my back and the course was more downhill than uphill. My speed was much higher than on the way out. I still fought with the bike a little, but it was much easier to control. My speed was so high on the descents that I had a hard time keeping my power high enough while still keeping my speed where I felt in control of the bike (did I mention that I've only ridden that bike for 40 miles since last July?).
Some numbers to put it in perspective:
Total Distance: 20K (12.4 miles)
Total time: 34:26
Average Speed: 21.6 mph
Average Power: 234 watts (248 normalized)
Time to turnaround: 20:32
Time back to start: 13:54
Average Speed to Turnaround: 18.0 mph
Average Speed back to start: 26.9 mph
Like I said, quite the difference.
Hill Climb:
Let me put this in no uncertain terms: I have a new favorite event: the South Mountain Hill Climb.
The hill climb was among the most fun things I've ever done, and I finished dead last! (by about 25 seconds).
It starts out with a very slight uphill for the first 2.5 miles. There were only 9 of us and we really pushed the pace for those first few miles. Then we hit the first real climb.
I was the second one to drop off the pack. After that, I just held as high of a pace as I thought I could sustain for the rest of the climb.
I had explored the course on MapMyRide.com to get an idea of where the steeper sections were and what landmarks I could tell them by. I also kept my bike computer in mileage mode so I could see just how far I had gone (and so I knew how far I had to go).
With about 2 miles to go, the guy who was behind me passed me pretty quickly. I was doing 11 mph, he was probably doing 12. At that speed, there's not much draft, but I couldn't hang onto his wheel anyway. Once he got about 50 yards in front of me, his pace dropped enough that I could keep him in sight but I couldn't bring him back.
With about 400 yards to go, there's a slight downhill, then a flat stretch, I sprinted like a lunatic, just trying to get the best time I could. I hit 27 mph.
Since I could get into a rhythm on the climb, my power numbers were much better than they were in the time trial.
Some numbers on the hill climb:
Total Distance: 7.4 miles
Total Time: 32:52
Average Speed: 13.5 mph
Average Power: 268 watts (275 normalized)
Total vertical climb: 1540 feet
I really loved the hill climb. It was a totally new challenge. I was by far the heaviest rider there. Everyone else was my height but probably 20 pounds lighter. I didn't care. It was my first time and I was there for the experience.
Now I have even more incentive to lose as much weight as I can.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Value of a Teammate
Today's race was 20 miles, made up of 15 laps of a 1.4 mile course that has 6 turns and a 180-degree hairpin turn at one end. The roads were a little on the narrow side but the turns were not too bad.
The pace was fast from the start with the traditional surges coming out of every turn. I'm still finding that my high speed turning is not what it should be. I just can't take a full turn at 22 mph yet. As a result, I lost a few places in each turn and I had to work a little harder coming out of each turn.
I held on for dear life for the first 10 miles, during which we averaged about 24 mph, reaching speeds near 30 mph on the one long straight segment.
Coming out of the one turn, I just lost contact with the pack. I can't say why, really. I was going as hard as I could and the pack just pulled away. I kept my pace up as well as I could, but I was losing ground.
About a half lap later, I caught up to me teammate, Pete, who had also lost contact with the group. Once I was on his wheel, Pete suddenly caught a second wind. He took off so hard that I could barely hang on. At first I thought he'd lost his mind. Then I realized that he was working to catch another group of 3 that was about 35 seconds ahead of us.
We worked together, keeping the pace high for a lap and a half. I got a look at how the race was unfolding: There was the lead pack, about a 30 second gap, and then the group that we were chasing. Coming out of the hairpin that lap, Pete had given all that he had. He had gotten me to within 12 seconds of the other group. Now it was up to me to close down the rest.
I charged into the next turn at full speed, just trying to bring them back. I saw them go past the stop sign in the next turn and started counting...1....2....3.... 10 seconds. I hit the turn and sprinted up the next segment like my life counted on it. I saw them go into the next turn and started counting 1...2...3... 8 seconds. I gritted my teeth and gunned it again. The next turn: 4 seconds. The next turn, 2 seconds.
On the long straight section, I caught them and breathed a huge sigh of relief. That chase group included two other teammates: Bradley and Jason. The four of us worked together smoothly until our last lap. The last time coming out of the hairpin, I attacked. It was too far from the finish, but I just felt like it. At this point, I had nothing to lose. I knew that I didn't have a real sprint in my legs.
I got away and had about a three bike length gap. I wasn't going to be able to stay away if that's all I could get. I took the corner at full speed and attacked again. I didn't really gain anything. Over the next segment, they brought me back. I sat on the back and we came through the finish line. Done!
I really owe it to Pete. If not for him, I'd have probably sat up and just cruised around the course until the finish. He didn't just pull me to within striking distance. He inspired me to work harder.
I later found out that the officials had called us in early. They wanted to open up the course for them to take out the one segment with two-way traffic, so we would not have made it around again before they reached that segment. No biggie. I still finished 14th.
It was a great day for the team. We had two guys in the top 4 in the Cat 5, 4 guys in the top 10 in the Cat 4, and positions 2, 4, and 6 in the Women's cat 4. I expect that we did even more in other races after I left.
Total distance: 20.4 miles
Time: 52: 15
Avg Speed: 22.9 mph
Avg Power: 233 watts (261 normalized)
The pace was fast from the start with the traditional surges coming out of every turn. I'm still finding that my high speed turning is not what it should be. I just can't take a full turn at 22 mph yet. As a result, I lost a few places in each turn and I had to work a little harder coming out of each turn.
I held on for dear life for the first 10 miles, during which we averaged about 24 mph, reaching speeds near 30 mph on the one long straight segment.
Coming out of the one turn, I just lost contact with the pack. I can't say why, really. I was going as hard as I could and the pack just pulled away. I kept my pace up as well as I could, but I was losing ground.
About a half lap later, I caught up to me teammate, Pete, who had also lost contact with the group. Once I was on his wheel, Pete suddenly caught a second wind. He took off so hard that I could barely hang on. At first I thought he'd lost his mind. Then I realized that he was working to catch another group of 3 that was about 35 seconds ahead of us.
We worked together, keeping the pace high for a lap and a half. I got a look at how the race was unfolding: There was the lead pack, about a 30 second gap, and then the group that we were chasing. Coming out of the hairpin that lap, Pete had given all that he had. He had gotten me to within 12 seconds of the other group. Now it was up to me to close down the rest.
I charged into the next turn at full speed, just trying to bring them back. I saw them go past the stop sign in the next turn and started counting...1....2....3.... 10 seconds. I hit the turn and sprinted up the next segment like my life counted on it. I saw them go into the next turn and started counting 1...2...3... 8 seconds. I gritted my teeth and gunned it again. The next turn: 4 seconds. The next turn, 2 seconds.
On the long straight section, I caught them and breathed a huge sigh of relief. That chase group included two other teammates: Bradley and Jason. The four of us worked together smoothly until our last lap. The last time coming out of the hairpin, I attacked. It was too far from the finish, but I just felt like it. At this point, I had nothing to lose. I knew that I didn't have a real sprint in my legs.
I got away and had about a three bike length gap. I wasn't going to be able to stay away if that's all I could get. I took the corner at full speed and attacked again. I didn't really gain anything. Over the next segment, they brought me back. I sat on the back and we came through the finish line. Done!
I really owe it to Pete. If not for him, I'd have probably sat up and just cruised around the course until the finish. He didn't just pull me to within striking distance. He inspired me to work harder.
I later found out that the officials had called us in early. They wanted to open up the course for them to take out the one segment with two-way traffic, so we would not have made it around again before they reached that segment. No biggie. I still finished 14th.
It was a great day for the team. We had two guys in the top 4 in the Cat 5, 4 guys in the top 10 in the Cat 4, and positions 2, 4, and 6 in the Women's cat 4. I expect that we did even more in other races after I left.
Total distance: 20.4 miles
Time: 52: 15
Avg Speed: 22.9 mph
Avg Power: 233 watts (261 normalized)
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Bizarro Race to go the Slowest
Ronde Van Mullica, Cat 4
Today was a rather odd race.
I led the neutral start, which lasted a lot longer than I expected. I led the pack at 16 mph for the first 2 miles.
Then the pace picked up to about 26 mph for a couple miles, then slowed back down. We cruised around until about 1/4 mile before the start and then we picked it up again so we'd look good for the pictures. Then as soon as we were out of sight, we slowed down again.
There was a HUGE surge coming out of every turn (especially the sharp, gravel filled one). I took it a little wide on the second lap and lost about 20 placed. Dammit!
One thing that I really hated about this course was the yellow line rule. 70 cyclists on a narrow road and only allowed to use one lane means that it's almost impossible to move up. It felt like I was in the exact same position for the last 20 miles of the race (until the final few miles when we wound up for the sprint).
There were a lot of random slowings in the pack. We'd be cruising along at 28 mph then slow to 18. On dead flat roads with just a little wind and no turns in sight. The guys up front just decided to ease up. You could smell burning break pads a lot today.
The final straight was almost 3 miles long. Everyone was getting really impatient. The leaders were still going really slow and we could not use the other lane until about a mile and a half to go.
As soon as the road opened up, we spread out across the road. Almost immediately, out of the corner of my eye, I see a rear wheel flip into view and I hear the horrible sounds of bodies and bikes hitting the pavement. I hoped that it wasn't bad (it was) and that no one I knew was in it (they were not).
Seeing the pack start to speed up, I gave it all I had. I weaved between riders who were being dropped off the increasing pace. I thought we were a lot closer to the finishing line than we were, and I gave it all that I had left. I shot around the right side of the pack and started looking for someone's wheel. The pack had started to slow down just a bit one more time. We were still a quarter mile from the finishing line and I rolled right past everyone and found myself in the lead. I slowed down a little, hoping to find someone's wheel to draft a little to catch my breath. As soon as I slowed, the pack swarmed around me. I went to sprint again but found that my legs just had nothing left. Maybe it was from the effort I'd just put in; maybe it was from the race yesterday, but my legs were done.
Looking at the download, I was going as hard as I could but my power was dropping all the way to the finish line. I was only about 15 seconds or so behind, so I can't complain too much.
Some numbers:
Total Distance: 40.4 miles
Total time: 1:44:48
Avg Power: 185 watts (230 watts normalized)
Avg Heart Rate: 149 bpm
Total time not pedaling: 29:45
Avg Speed: 23 mph
Max speed: 33.8 mph
Total time over 28 mph: 10:12
Total time under 16 mph: 12:59 (told you it was weird!!)
Avg Cadence: 96 rpm (much better than yesterday!)
Today was a rather odd race.
I led the neutral start, which lasted a lot longer than I expected. I led the pack at 16 mph for the first 2 miles.
Then the pace picked up to about 26 mph for a couple miles, then slowed back down. We cruised around until about 1/4 mile before the start and then we picked it up again so we'd look good for the pictures. Then as soon as we were out of sight, we slowed down again.
There was a HUGE surge coming out of every turn (especially the sharp, gravel filled one). I took it a little wide on the second lap and lost about 20 placed. Dammit!
One thing that I really hated about this course was the yellow line rule. 70 cyclists on a narrow road and only allowed to use one lane means that it's almost impossible to move up. It felt like I was in the exact same position for the last 20 miles of the race (until the final few miles when we wound up for the sprint).
There were a lot of random slowings in the pack. We'd be cruising along at 28 mph then slow to 18. On dead flat roads with just a little wind and no turns in sight. The guys up front just decided to ease up. You could smell burning break pads a lot today.
The final straight was almost 3 miles long. Everyone was getting really impatient. The leaders were still going really slow and we could not use the other lane until about a mile and a half to go.
As soon as the road opened up, we spread out across the road. Almost immediately, out of the corner of my eye, I see a rear wheel flip into view and I hear the horrible sounds of bodies and bikes hitting the pavement. I hoped that it wasn't bad (it was) and that no one I knew was in it (they were not).
Seeing the pack start to speed up, I gave it all I had. I weaved between riders who were being dropped off the increasing pace. I thought we were a lot closer to the finishing line than we were, and I gave it all that I had left. I shot around the right side of the pack and started looking for someone's wheel. The pack had started to slow down just a bit one more time. We were still a quarter mile from the finishing line and I rolled right past everyone and found myself in the lead. I slowed down a little, hoping to find someone's wheel to draft a little to catch my breath. As soon as I slowed, the pack swarmed around me. I went to sprint again but found that my legs just had nothing left. Maybe it was from the effort I'd just put in; maybe it was from the race yesterday, but my legs were done.
Looking at the download, I was going as hard as I could but my power was dropping all the way to the finish line. I was only about 15 seconds or so behind, so I can't complain too much.
Some numbers:
Total Distance: 40.4 miles
Total time: 1:44:48
Avg Power: 185 watts (230 watts normalized)
Avg Heart Rate: 149 bpm
Total time not pedaling: 29:45
Avg Speed: 23 mph
Max speed: 33.8 mph
Total time over 28 mph: 10:12
Total time under 16 mph: 12:59 (told you it was weird!!)
Avg Cadence: 96 rpm (much better than yesterday!)
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Tales from the Back of the Pack
Salisbury, Cat 3/4
The first thing I tell everyone who asks me for advice about a race is to stay in the front of the pack. So when I pulled out of the start line in 65th position out of 69, I was not in for a fun day.
To make matters even more fun, it was a Category 3 and 4 race, so I was racing people who were a good bit faster than me and this race was on very narrow roads with a "no crossing the yellow line" rule, so it was going to be really hard to move up.
It was a 32 mile race, doing 5 laps of 6.3 miles over a very hilly course and with about 16 mph winds blowing across the fields of Lancaster County.
I was constantly reminded of why the back of the pack sucks. I had to jam on my brakes HARD several times just to avoid running over the people in front of me, who had suddenly slowed from 22 to 15 mph. As soon as I slowed, the pace jumped back to 24 mph. Repeat about 20 times in the first lap (about 22 minutes) and you get an idea of how my day was going.
The reason is that the front of the pack hits a hill or a stiff headwind and they slow down. There is a slight delay for each person, and suddenly those in the back have to jam on their brakes. Highway traffic can be like that too.
One of the later ones came at the base of a steep climb and several of us had to veer onto the grass to avoid hitting those in front of us. I sprinted as hard as I could, just to hit the bottom of the next hill and get left behind in time to complete the first lap. Great....
So, for the next five laps I tried to get another pack together. Several other people had fallen off the back and I tried to organize them. Unfortunately, they kept quitting. I'd just get onto someone's wheel and open my mouth to say that we could work together, and they'd pull into the parking lot at the start/finish line. I got to watch 8 people quit that way. So, I just rolled along alone.
Since I'm racing again tomorrow, I didn't go TOO hard. I just held it at a hard tempo pace (about 85% of threshold power). With the headwinds and hills, sometimes that meant about 9 mph.
Other than starting in the back, another major mistake that I made was pedaling too slowly. When the pack accelerated, I had a much harder time responding because I was in a gear that was too hard to pedal.
The real kicker is that I spent my last three races at the front while pedaling an easy gear, so I knew better.
Now it's time to rest, recovery, and refuel for tomorrow's 40-mile perfectly flat race!
A few numbers:
Morning weight: 181.6 lbs
Total Race Time: 1:38:06
Avg Speed: 19.4 mph
Avg Power: 206 watts (260 normalized)
Avg speed with the pack: 22.7 mph
Avg speed alone: 18.7 mph
Avg Heart Rate: 158 bpm (174 max)
Total climbing: 1587 feet
Total calories burned: 1204
The first thing I tell everyone who asks me for advice about a race is to stay in the front of the pack. So when I pulled out of the start line in 65th position out of 69, I was not in for a fun day.
To make matters even more fun, it was a Category 3 and 4 race, so I was racing people who were a good bit faster than me and this race was on very narrow roads with a "no crossing the yellow line" rule, so it was going to be really hard to move up.
It was a 32 mile race, doing 5 laps of 6.3 miles over a very hilly course and with about 16 mph winds blowing across the fields of Lancaster County.
I was constantly reminded of why the back of the pack sucks. I had to jam on my brakes HARD several times just to avoid running over the people in front of me, who had suddenly slowed from 22 to 15 mph. As soon as I slowed, the pace jumped back to 24 mph. Repeat about 20 times in the first lap (about 22 minutes) and you get an idea of how my day was going.
The reason is that the front of the pack hits a hill or a stiff headwind and they slow down. There is a slight delay for each person, and suddenly those in the back have to jam on their brakes. Highway traffic can be like that too.
One of the later ones came at the base of a steep climb and several of us had to veer onto the grass to avoid hitting those in front of us. I sprinted as hard as I could, just to hit the bottom of the next hill and get left behind in time to complete the first lap. Great....
So, for the next five laps I tried to get another pack together. Several other people had fallen off the back and I tried to organize them. Unfortunately, they kept quitting. I'd just get onto someone's wheel and open my mouth to say that we could work together, and they'd pull into the parking lot at the start/finish line. I got to watch 8 people quit that way. So, I just rolled along alone.
Since I'm racing again tomorrow, I didn't go TOO hard. I just held it at a hard tempo pace (about 85% of threshold power). With the headwinds and hills, sometimes that meant about 9 mph.
Other than starting in the back, another major mistake that I made was pedaling too slowly. When the pack accelerated, I had a much harder time responding because I was in a gear that was too hard to pedal.
The real kicker is that I spent my last three races at the front while pedaling an easy gear, so I knew better.
Now it's time to rest, recovery, and refuel for tomorrow's 40-mile perfectly flat race!
A few numbers:
Morning weight: 181.6 lbs
Total Race Time: 1:38:06
Avg Speed: 19.4 mph
Avg Power: 206 watts (260 normalized)
Avg speed with the pack: 22.7 mph
Avg speed alone: 18.7 mph
Avg Heart Rate: 158 bpm (174 max)
Total climbing: 1587 feet
Total calories burned: 1204
Sunday, March 27, 2011
On a cold, dark road in the middle of nowhere...
South Jersey Training Crit #4, 4/5 raceI finally made it to a South Jersey crit.
To make the 7:15 start, I left my place about 5:15. That makes for an early morning, and it's not any better when the expected temperature at the start was 30 degrees. It was not even light out when I first got there.
I barely got a warm up. Basically, I didn't want to get out of the car it was so cold! So, I sat in the car with the heat on, rolled around for 5 minutes, then the race started.
It was a pretty flat, 3-mile course. It's not really rectangular, with two long legs, one very short one (barely 1/4 mile), and one downhill leg. We were doing 6 laps.
I spent way too much energy in the beginning. Any time three or four guys got off the front, I tried to bring them back. I quickly realized that with about 40 people in the pack and a stiff headwind on the back leg, it was unlikely that a group would get away. Instead, I focused on riding well in the pack.
I made sure I was on the downwind side of the road so I was protected from the wind from both the front and the side. I tried to stay as close to the guy in front of me and beside me as I could. I stayed close to the front, but didn't pull. Any time a group started to get away, I sat in the pack and waited for someone else to bring it back.
On that back stretch, sometimes the group just cruised along, slowing to 18 or 19 mph. I just sat in the group protected from the wind and watched everyone else attack and get brought back.
I found that I need to work on my high speed turns. Coming into a turn at 30 mph, I constantly found myself braking a bit and taking the turn wide.
On the last lap, I made the mistake of not responding when guys started surging to the front. I should have moved up with them. Coming out of the last turn, probably 18 guys were still in front of me. I fought for a better position all the way to the line.
My other mistake was trying to sprint in too big a gear. I came out of the downhill and tried to sprint in the same gear I was just descending in. Instead of shifting, I tried to just muscle my way to go faster.
Despite those mistakes, I passed 4 or 5 guys in the final straight and fought one guy all the way to the line. I think he got me.
I thought about doing the 3/4 race afterward, but my hands and feet were so numb that I was not really interested.
Not bad for my third race in three weeks. I'm feeling much more comfortable in the pack and I'm able to hang on, even when there are pretty hard accelerations. Next weekend, I'm planning on two races: a 36-mile race on Saturday and a 40-mile race on Sunday.
A few numbers:
Distance: 17.6 miles
Finishing Time:45:17
Avg Speed: 23.1 mph
Max Speed: 32 mph
Avg Power: 218 watts (260 normalized)
Max Power: 1060 watts
Time not pedaling: 8:14
Yesterday morning, I was 181.4 pounds (I didn't get a weigh in this morning).
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