Race Report: Cedar Hill Crit

I have to start this report by thanking the Amos family for letting me come stay with them Saturday night and feeding me on Sunday. Without them, I would have been getting up at 6 am Sunday morning to make the drive and hoping I didn't run into any traffic to make the race on time. Many thanks for their continued hospitality.

The first race of the day was the cat 4/5 crit. Crit is loosely used for this race course since it was just over 1.5 miles with only two turns and 4 little inclines, two of which had the potential to really hurt. Not the standard, technical downtown crit course (from my limited experience). The finish was just over a slight right hand riser after a fast, slightly downhill straight.

I am going to try to keep this shorter for time sake and my quickly fading memory. So the first race was supposed to be 40 minutes with one prime lap. I barely heard the announcement and didn't know what it was for. By the second corner, one rider was a considerable distance off the front and easily took the prime and then reabsorbed into the field after. Not much else happened until the finish. So closing in on the finishing lap, I knew of about 4 or 5 riders I was looking after. A friend had informed me of a new threat before the race and the internet told me praises of another sprinter. It was this latter sprinter's wheel I was looking for on the run into the finish and I had it. Coming up the 3rd incline and the last significant one, I was sitting 4th wheel on the rider I wanted. He faltered over the apex of the climb and a gap opened between him and the 2nd rider. I quickly pulled out and moved up into 3rd wheel. As we started racing down the hill for the last straight before the finish rise and right turn, I think I was hollering "GO, GO GO!" to the two riders in front. I didn't want a train coming up either side of me (like I said, sketchy memory). At this point I guess my memory really goes because I don't remember whatever happened to those two riders in front of  me. The next thing I remember was an attack coming from the left, and then this rider was immediately in front of me by about 3 bike lengths. And when I say in front of me, that's really how I remember it. I only remember seeing him and no clue where those other two riders went. So seeing this guy open a gap on me, a sudden feeling of "Oh crap, I have to go close this down." came over me. I'm not sure why I felt briefly intimidated by it, maybe from the struggles back at Hell of the South. Anyway, I knew I had to go. I did a quick check of my gears to make sure I wasn't going to immediately spin out, then I was up out of the saddle, pulling off to the left/outside, and sprinting up the slight right hand rise. I passed the leader on the slope of the rise and continued to gap. A little ways down the back side, I was spinning really high and had to sit down. At that point I took a glance over my left shoulder and saw the significant gap I had created. I sat up, arms in the air, and cruised to the finish. A beautifully executed sprint finish. It felt amazing! (Video below thanks to Will Montgomery)

With only about 45 minutes between races, I did a quick spin around the lower lots and then headed back to my car to mix another drink of EnduraFuel, grab a bite of banana, a muffin, and change numbers on my jersey. The second race was the 3/4 crit. It went similar to the first race with a few noticeable differences. Overall it was faster, the corners were huge bottlenecks with tremendous slowing sometimes down to even standstill and walking paces. There were several attacks off the front and a lot of sitting in for me. Being the only rider from HUB Endurance in the race, I felt content to sit in the pack and let all the other teams chase down all the attacks and pull the group around the race. As we started counting down laps, I moved up to the front; a little too far up to the front since I led about 3/4 of the 2 to go lap. I wanted to see how they would react to me on the front though. Would they let me go? Let me get a gap? They didn't.

So, coming off that last significant hill on the course for the run into the finish, I still wasn't far enough up in the group for my liking. I charged on the inside passing several people. I was moving up nicely until 3 or 4 guys in the line crashed down on me. At this point I had no where to go, so I hopped over in the grass. I rode in the grass, dirt, rocks, and bumps up and over the last riser for about 30 meters before I passed those guys and was able to safely get back on the pavement (I think my Zipps need some truing now). By this time the lead group of about 10 guys were already at the finish line practically so I knew my race was over. I gave another few firm pedal strokes passing 2 or 3 more guys and crossed the finish line in 11th place overall and the best placed cat 4 rider.

Great experiences for the weekend. I loved being able to get a great sprint finish in. I've proved to myself I can hang in with a cat 3 crit field. I saw the dynamics and benefits of having a team to race with in a crit.

Race Reports: HoS & PeachTree TT

It's taken me a while to get around to writing these reports, but I've been trying to focus on my school work and not failing grad school. I'm sure my parents would be proud. Anyway, school has been filled with endless projects, presentations, tests, and additional classes over the normal. They think they can just control our lives. I guess they can, but it is really getting annoying and my disgust for that building and program is growing quite rapidly recently.

Anyway, back to the races. I had been looking forward to the first road race for quite some time. Unfortunately, by the time it got here, school had me run down to the point that I was not looking forward to racing. I knew I still had to go, so early Saturday morning I set out alone for Berlin, TN and the first TBRA race of the year. Without a warm-up, I toed the starting line and we were off. I personally knew none of the other racers: all my friends from last year have upgraded to the cat 3's. I knew one person that I was going to be watching thanks to a friend's advice. The race progressed pretty uneventfully. I could hear someone blow a tire every once in while, but not a whole lot of action in the top 5-10 wheels where I was trying to stay. I hit the gravel in 2nd wheel. We didn't throw any attacks per se, but the accelerations up those punchy hills in the gravel were not nice on the legs. A bit later I charged up and over a hill creating a decent gap; no one responded. I knew I wasn't going to make it by myself so I sat up and waited for the group.

The next 15-20 miles were a big cluster mess. First the masters were closing in on us. We were told to go single file and slow down as they came up to pass. Then a few guys on the front accelerated and surged. Officials came back and regulated us at the front and we had to slow to less than 10mph for quite some time as the masters closed in and passed us. We continued to wait as they built up a gap so we didn't immediately pass them back. Once we were allowed to race again, someone shot off the front and up the road. Within the next 3 miles we were catching and passing the big masters field. About this time is when I was behind a guy that hadn't been up front in the race. Before I knew it, he led me right into a rather large pothole that gave me quite a jar. My fresh bottle I had just switched to the downtube cage shot out. I really could have used that powerful EnduraFuel energy later in the race, but I would have to do without. Here is where I must also give a big thanks to HUB Endurance for letting me borrow some super plush 28mm Vittoria tires for the race without which that pothole might have very well ended my race right there.

So, right before we entered the gravel for the second time, the official made us literally stop on the side of the road and wait. Several guys chose to pee as others sat around twiddling their thumbs. Now that everyone was well rested, any stragglers had a chance to get back on, and cold blood had time to settle in our legs, they let us off again.

Small surges from the front carried us the rest of the way back to the 2.5 mile finish stretch. By this time I had moved up to 2nd/3rd wheel as I was preparing for the finish. Unfortunately I was not patient enough to properly execute the finish. I was putting too much effort and riding in too much wind that entire trip back to the start finish. At the 1k to go mark the first attack went. I quickly matched and got on his wheel, another mistake. More attacks started coming from both sides. I was begging for the line, my body pleading with me to just stop, give up, and call it a day. I don't remember exactly how that last K went down, but I know at the end there were two big surges, one from each side of me. The one on the right was impressive and made a small gap, he took first. The one from the left was shaky and drifted slightly right and in front of me once he came around, he got second. That was enough to keep me seated and just holding on for the finish.

Take home: (1) be more patient and (2) sprinting at the end of a hard run into the finish is very hard and I didn't have it that day.

PeachTree TT:
The second race of the weekend was a time trial southwest of Atlanta. So once again, Sunday morning I got up and headed out the door for the drive down...by myself...in the rain...raining the entire way. I got there in time to setup for a nice little warm-up. My HUB skinsuit from Pactimo fit perfectly which I was very happy about as it was the first time I had tried it on.

I was on time for my start which is always rule number one for a TT. However, as soon as I went off, I came up behind a pickup truck sitting at a stop sign where I was supposed to turn right. I didn't know what to do at first as a slight panic set in. I ended up going around him on the left, but as I was beside him he started moving too. I continued on and passed across the yellow line. Not the best start, but I settled into my aero position and tried not to break rule number two in a TT: don't start out too hard. My legs were not putting out their best, so I just tried making up for it in aerodynamics implementing skills from the book of Tony Martin. I guess it worked because even with a subpar performance, I came away with the win.

It was good to get a decent distance TT in before I take on the state TT the first weekend of May (one of the reasons I wanted to do this race).

Overall not a bad start to the year. Three races and three podiums: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Back to the grind and back to racing soon enough. VERY glad to have this weekend off.

Race Report: Pick Your Poison XC

The first race of the season. The first race since the crash with the boat/truck last June and surgery. It's been a long time coming and I was very eager to get back in the saddle and push the pedals full throttle. I had decent expectations that unfortunately didn't plan out. It's tough to be efficient and good at something if you don't do it regularly and I've only mountain biked 4 times since last May: my fault, my choice. Mountain biking is a different beast than road cycling, as the soreness in my lower back and neck can attest.

After several delays in start times and 3 warm up sessions, the race was ready to start. Some guys jumped out of my category and up to the Pro/Open category leaving only me and one other guy racing the Cat 1 19-29 division. From the start, I jumped out in front and hammered. I was hoping to break the other guy and then settle into my own pace and race. He didn't break. I was redlining and still not going that fast. I would put some space between us on the fast, downhill, technical sections, but he would catch back up once the elevation went up again. I knew I couldn't keep this effort up as every time I looked down at my computer my HR was over 180bpm. I gradually slowed and decided that if the he wanted to just sit on my wheel, then we would cruise at a slower pace.

Three-quarters of the way through the first lap, I slid out in a left turn, catching myself, but still slowing dramatically. He moved around me at this point and I rode his wheel for the rest of the lap, losing ground when the terrain went up and rubbing tires when we went down. We came through the start finish together to start the second lap, but as we headed back into the woods I had to drop off. My body had to take a break from the effort I had been pushing that first lap. That was the last time I saw the other rider. After about 2-3 minutes of easy pedaling, I was back to racing, a little disheartened.

The rest of the race was pretty uneventful and I simply finished the last lap, knowing that I wasn't racing anymore and I was guaranteed second place. My body was aching and the miles were tough requiring a lot of effort and wasted energy to cover because of my rusty mountain bike skills. I might have been able to descend, but I was out legged and efficiently handled by the other rider. I finished the almost two hour race with an average HR of 173bpm, maxed out at 190bpm, and spent 23 minutes over 180bpm. HR was only below 151bpm for 1:40. We climbed 2,500 feet in only 19 miles.

I have to remember this was just a training race (very solid metabolic and cardiovascular training) and more racing is to come. A lot more racing. Next weekend I'll be on the track and back to racing the following weekend.

Taking to the Track

This past weekend I decided to do something new. I tried track cycling. The track had briefly caught my eye in years past, but I never gave it a genuine consideration until I begin training with a powermeter this winter. After reading a few books to learn how to interpret and properly train with my powermeter, I began to recognize some my numbers as ones that correspond to good track racing numbers. In track racing, the weight factor of the rider is all but eliminated, so my stocky build should not hold me back on the track as it does on climbs on the road. I then looked into my cadence and noticed some high numbers I am able to hit consistently. Put all these things together, let my power become pure watts and not necessarily watts per Kg, and on paper, I should be a good track racer. 

This past weekend was the first beginner class of the year at the Dick Lane Velodrome in Atlanta, so I headed down to get acquainted and see how I liked it. Temperatures in the low to mid 30s both days with light flurries on Saturday during the class limited our riding time for the two day, 6 hour class, but I got a good enough feel for how the track works. I got to wet my appetite for flying 200 meter sprints, match sprints, getting perpendicular to 36 degree banked corners, and non-stop pedaling. 

So, Monday afternoon after this weekend experience, I was at HUB Endurance asking what my options are for a track bike and how we can make it work. I am now registered and set to go to Rock Hill, SC for a collegiate clinic at the end of my spring break in two weeks. By the time the summer racing rolls around at Dick Lane, I think I will be ready to take on the track. Looking forward, I can't help but notice that with Xterra Nationals probably dropping off my schedule, my last big "A" race now occurs in mid-July. Seems like that gives me a solid 9 week buildup to Collegiate Track Nationals in Colorado. Who knows. Might be switching one national championship for another. 

                           

           

Catching Up with My Sponsors

Last week I got a call from my supplement sponsors at Biomedical Research Laboratories. They were calling to check in on how my training was going, if I needed any more products, and to tell me about some of the new stuff they have coming out over the next few months. The rep that called me even knew details about my upcoming racing schedule as he's been checking up on my blog. It was great to know that the staff at BRL cares enough about their athletes to call them and follow up with their racing and training schedule. You can check out the Athlete Profile page they have for me here.  

The rep also discussed some really exciting new products that BRL is working on. While still under wraps, I can say I am really excited to get some samples of the new products as they start testing it out. As always it will be of the highest grade natural ingredients and includes no banned substances listed on the WADA 2013 list. Take confidence in knowing that BRL manufactures in the United States and submits all of its products to the Banned Substances Control Group for testing to ensure that all of the athletes consuming their products are staying legal, no deer antler spray or holographic chips coming from this company!

Two days after my phone conversation, another support package showed up at my door. This is turning out to be a great partnership. I'm looking forward to racing and training on their products and excited for what I will be able to achieve.

A Plan Coming Together

So, for the first time ever in my career, I have established a yearly training plan. In years past, I would schedule, haphazardly, the 2 or 3 weeks leading up to my most important race of the year, but that's it. This year is different. I have done my research and created a structured, purposeful plan to tackle the 2013 season. I have 3 big races I am focusing on with many others along the way. The first race of the season is March 10th with the first major race being in late April. The last race isn't until late September. It's going to be a long season.

As mentioned previously, the first half of the season will focus solely on cycling events with a gradual transition to triathlons in the summer. How am I going to integrate the two other sports and make everything work? No clue yet. I am really excited about the cycling though. I am using my new power meter to guide my training as I progress through the different training cycles. This weekend I completed my baseline power profile testing. It was a rainy few days and I didn't quite get the numbers I was expecting: timing, weather, big week as possible causes. Just means more room for improvement and I'll try again in 4 weeks.

I will be cycling more per week than I ever have as part of this cycling focused training. Come race time I should find out what my true potential is. I have the tools, I have the plan, and I have the perfect city to do it in. Time to execute.

The famous river gorge

The scenic city: a great place to train

Views from power testing

Another nice view from a long day of testing

May 2013 Be Better Than 2012

From broken wheels, broken shoes, a broken Garmin, and broken dreams to the "one lap to go" finish at Johnson City and the amazing crash finish for 2nd at Moab. From being hit by a car to surgery and 6 weeks of NWB crutch ambulation. It's been pretty obvious that 2012 was not my year. Most of the goals I set for 2012 were not achieved. They must roll forward to 2013 where they have snowballed into even bigger aspirations; because as a friend once told me, a champion lives on to race another day.

In 2013, I am chasing jerseys. I have 6 in mind listed in order of difficulty.

1. TORBRA Cat 1 BAR Champion
2. TBRA Cat 4 BAR Champion
3. Xterra Southeast Regional Champion
4. TBRA Cat 4 Crit State Champion
5. TORBRA Cat 1 XC State Champion
6. Xterra USA National Champion

The thing that will make this complicated and hard to accomplish is scheduling. I'm assuming a lot of these races will fall on the same weekends and I'll have to chose which to do. I already know one of our mandatory Saturday guest lectures for school will occur on a Saturday race day in April. Skip class? I think so. Other goals include:

7. Continue to succeed in school by learning all I need to know
8. Maintain my GA position by staying on top of my hours
9. Train methodically and scientifically for better performance
10. Fully adapt and incorporate my new, less stressful running stride
11. Travel more, for races and to visit friends
12. Ride 5,000 miles

The miles should come pretty easily if I follow my training program required for success in earning all the jerseys. Merely a task I would like to concur that was listed as a goal last year and didn't achieve. Even with being off the bike for about 5 months, I was able to ride 3,516 miles in 2012, about 400 more miles than I rode in 2011. The front half of the coming season will be loaded heavy with cycling events with a mid summer transition to heavy triathlon racing and training. This should help me accomplish the cycling goals since for the first time ever, training will have a sole cycling focus. Delaying triathlons will also give my knee more time to recover so that I can get back to running form. Currently, I haven't been able to run more than a mile without knee pain, and that mile was on the treadmill.

I have my work cut out for me now. Time to get serious and put in all the training necessary for success. Time management will be key to balancing all the workouts with all the school. Time to go to work.