Carrera de San Rafael (downtown criterium 8/9, 4:20pm)
Course: 0.55mi 4-corner loop that was slightly different than last year (shifted one block west). The start/finish stretch was a long incline of varying gradient (probably 1-3%), with the incline continuing past turn 1 onto the short and cresting shortly after turn 2. So nearly 2/3s of the course was uphill. In 40 minutes, we did 30 laps. 25 mph average. 80 starters
Full data: http://www.trainingpeaks.com/tny.aspx?a=sw&key=HHistskDS7d3woNEakogS30St5ARUiYu
Teammates: Jake and Jeff.
Fast race on a fun, safe course. The women raced ahead of us said it was hard and tough to find time to recover. That sounded like a good thing, since I've been doing better in the crits that get strung out. Got an OK start from the second row to get into the first third of the 80-strong field. The pace was blistering from the second lap through the first 15 minutes or so. As strung out as we were, I couldn't really see the front, but it sounds like there were a couple breaks off the front, keeping the pack motivated.
For that first 15 minutes, I really couldn't believe how hard we were going and was wondering if I was having a bad day, since I wasn't moving up at all. Even though I was feeling fresh, I certainly wasn't having a good day, in large part since I'd eaten a bit too much (big bowl of granola) after my easy noon ride. I chalk it up to not being used to racing in the afternoon. As hard as it was, I could feel the pack splintering behind me and was attentive to get around riders getting gapped. I figured the pace couldn't stay that high for long.
But it did stay fast. In the middle of the race, whenever the pack started slowing down a bit at the top of the main incline, guys would move up around the outside, lifting the pace. Halfway through, I got in a good rhythm of moving up here and found better lines so I stopped touching my brakes into turns 3 and 4. With no brakes, those turns were fun. And heading out of turn 4 with max speed, the start of the climb was a lot easier. For a few laps, I got in the top 10, but mostly I was around 20 back. I felt like I was trading a little position for recovery on the backstretch, where it was also possible to move up, but a bit more work given the high speeds. When I did move up here, it was mostly to go around the outside of guys who were hitting the brakes. The outside line wasn't faster, but it felt safer. (But best was the line when I was in 10th wheel and we were single file.)
With 6 to go, the field had really thinned out. I had pretty good position and was starting to think of the finale. Jake came up with around 4 to go and we exchanged words. Then the next time around, I got caught in a big rut near the gutter on the outside entering turn 3, trying to pass a guy. Wobbled a bit and lost a few places and a lot of speed. Shortly after that, on the next climb, a guy three bikes up let a gap open and it got pretty big by the time I noticed. Jake and I went around and he worked to try to bridge us up, but it was the last 2 laps and the pace surged up. He did a great job just keeping us even. I didn't have enough to come around. Still we had some fun sprinting out the end. It was tougher than I expected to make up places on the hill and I didn't quite come around the guy between Jake and I, losing that personal battle by less than a half a wheel.
After the line, I was wasted and had that maxed-out-and-ready-to-puke feeling. I haven't felt that wasted after a race since Cat's Hill. The power data showed this as about as hard as Napa (where I was at and off the front, not just trying to hold on), but not as hard as Cat's Hill (where I was off the back). But the heart rate monitor was off the chart, showing me spending 38 minutes in zone 5, 23m in VO2max range (5bpm above LT). I don't quite believe that (and wasn't breathing that hard except in a few places), so my LT rate may have moved up a couple beats, as I haven't had a reliable field test for a little while.
Talking to the leaders after the race (Joakim from Kovarus who got 2nd, Sam Wilson, Maurice), most agreed it was real hard. Glad it wasn't just me. Scott Penzarella won again (he bagged Timpani last Sunday).
Result: 27th. Jake got 25th. (of 80)
Esparto Individual Time Trial (8/10; 30min north of Davis, 8:51 start time)
Course: 18.4 mile dog leg. The start was into the wind (and no start ramp) for a couple miles, then a 90-degree right turn with a cross wind, over an overpass, gently curving right to get a slight cross-tailwind, then sharp rollers into the 180-turnaround and back into the cross-headwind. We hit the finish before turning back towards the start, so never got a full tailwind.
Results: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swoo/2751403434/sizes/l/in/set-72157606653839110/
Full data: http://www.trainingpeaks.com/tny.aspx?a=sw&key=HHistskDS7eJmeaKCN%2FJK5pnnDSx70a5
I've been looking forward to this individual time trial quite a bit. Not only is a ITT a nice change of pace, but it's a good fitness test, comparable from year-to-year and across categories. A flat time trial is certainly different from a hillclimb like I did at Mt. Diablo, using different muscles and really rewarding a good aero position and equipment. Since the regional stage races all seem to have flat to rolling ITTs as a deciding factor, I figure now's a good time to start learning the aero position and the pacing strategies I'd need to do well. If I learned one thing today, it's that time trialing really is it's own discipline and there's a lot to learn.
No Mice were up for going out to Esparto (not that I could blame them, since I had to skip out of the San Rafael party early to get some sleep), I drove out with Tim Fehon (Aussie Cat 4, unattached). The general event start was scheduled for 8am, but Cat 4s started after 8:40, so we got there a bit early, which was OK. Plenty of time for a warm up to work out the kinks from the previous day. The legs were feeling a bit stiff, but not tired, a tribute to getting an afterrace massage from Paul at San Rafael and having taken the week easy, except for Tuesday track racing.
I got a nasty start, crunching and skipping my gear (either a 53x21 or 53x19, can't remember) and hitting my right knee on the bar before getting going. Then I sprinted up to speed pretty quick and eased back off into what I thought my sustainable power range would be. I'd planned to do negative splits, doing 270-280W early on and finishing 290-300W. I was expecting to turn in lower power numbers than Mt. Diablo, as it's somehow easier to put out big power on the hills.
My splits show that it didn't go to plan:
1/3 split; 6mi:
15m 22
290W norm power
161bpm
23.4 mph avg
2/3 split; 6mi:
15m 28
273W norm power
163bpm
23.3 mph avg
3/3 split; 6.4mi:
17m 03 (16:00 for 6mi)
261W norm power
164bpm
22.7 mph avg
I got passed by the starters one behind me, plus another guy who probably started further back. The first (Jared Prince, who won Cat 4s) around 5mi in, the second just before the turnaround (at 10.5mi). I passed two guys, but took little consolation, since they were really slow and one of them didn't even have clip-on bars. I used both guys passing me as carrots for a while, but Jared Prince was really hauling, requiring me to do 310-320W or so to keep up. I didn't do that long for fear of blowing up. The second guy didn't come by that much faster. It seemed like I was gaining ground on him up the rollers, then losing it on the downhills.
In general, I think I lost a lot of speed on the downhill sections by not getting up to speed quickly enough and not continuing to push as much power. I found it harder to keep applying power on the downhill, even when I was consciously trying. A lot of the problem was that the legs weren't there in the second half. Since I was on my road bike and clip-on bars (with the stem dropped a bit), the position wasn't the extreme aero tuck that I saw on the fast guys, but it was still different enough to use the muscles a bit differently than usual. I felt I was being pretty conservative even early on, and it never felt that hard, but I was definitely getting tired by mile 12. My right hip got pretty tight, not quite threatening to cramp. Need more training.
After the ride, I was surprised to see the slow 3rd split since at the time I thought I was going pretty hard. At least I did pick the pace up for the last mile, averaging 25mph and 280W.
Tim put a solid ride in, beating me by 43 seconds for 5th. He had a real aero tuck on his TT-specific bike. He's done a few ITTs in his time, including one a couple weeks ago at the Cascade stage race.
The group consensus after was that the wind was a factor, keeping times down a bit from last year. A good TT bike (for better position) and wheels (for real aero savings) could save minutes in that wind.
Results: 8th (good for a few BAR points). Learned something about ITT efforts. Convinced myself to do a few more ITTs before shopping for a cool-looking (and pricey) TT bike of my own.
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