Morning Workouts

There's something extra satisfying about morning workouts. Getting up 90+ minutes early seems to say "I'm serious about my training" where evening rides say "I don't have anything better to do after work."

Since I'm usually heading out from home and back to home and I'm adding time at the start of the day (and having a somewhat flexible work start time on most days, like my end time is flexibly late...) I also get to do somewhat more involved workouts in the morning than I would in the evening, when I usually add training to the end of my bike commute home (using the commute as a warmup, dropping my bag off at home or a nearby bush..).

So it's telling that I hadn't done a morning workout since early August. I'm sure the last one was my last morning hill repeat session out to the headlands. Those morning headlands rides could be a doozy, with the motivation to spend as much time on the hill as possible and minimize time back and forth.

Well, today was the start of a new winter habit in favor of morning rides. I headed out for the first Mouse tempo session at the Polo Fields. With the evenings getting short (I rode in the dark way too much last week), the mornings just fit the daylight better... even before daylight savings ends.

I'll admit: The Roaring Mouse Polo Fields tempo rides were what convinced me not only to join the team, but also to start racing again. The pacelining and the last-lap sprint reminded me of all that I'd been missing riding in San Franciscio without a team and of all that I used to love riding with a club in high school and with the Cal Cycling team in college... all condensed into an easy 45-minute format.

Today did not disappoint. I showed up 15 minutes late, having hit snooze a couple times. But quickly slipped into the paceline with 4 other Mice: Ben, DP, Ryan, and Hank. The cruising pace was a moderate 22mph, so with fresh legs even pulling at the front felt a bit easy. Ryan and Hank were on cross single-speeds, so fairly undergeared and spun out at a mid-20s pace. Ben was on a fixie, but had track-like gearing, so was ready to hit it. And he did, putting in a good attack at one point. I hesitated, waiting to see if DP would close, then chased back on and put in a modest counter to pass, not sure if we were going for a sprint point or what. We regrouped and started counting down laps to the final sprint as we approached 7:15. Ben came by and said I should stick to one gear in the sprint, to make it fair. I decided I'd mainly just lead it out, and started a 3/4 lap pull, ramping from 24 to 28 and holding it there before Ben jumped.

Good effort, with a strong 60s power avg in the mid-400s. Nice complement to the tempo time (in the 230-300-watt range).

Everyone went their separate ways, and I headed down to Lake Merced, since it was still early. Got a good sprint in from the bottom of the downhill on the East side, which is one of my favorite places to get up to lead-out speeds before sprinting on the flat. Hit 36mph with 1100w sustained for 10 seconds. I have to say that my best power numbers have mostly been in training, rather than races, at least for the sprints.

I'll have to get some lights before too long. Mateo's got me looking at DiNotte for the brightness and easy no-tools mounting. Pricey, though.

Ride Data: http://www.trainingpeaks.com/tny.aspx?a=sw&key=HHistskDS7cXbJ7BATQPzQ6Jzvgg%2Bvm%2F

Crashed again (Henleyville RR)

Hit the ground with 3mi to go at Henleyville RR. I was right behind Mateo, lying around 10 back. There was a good surge after a corner stringing us out two across, the surge subsided a bit, then the crash hit. Mateo got his wheel crossed and went down, I hit his bike and more or less flipped.

Hit the back of my head, elbow and wrist. No head injury due to helmet but neck is sore. Deep road rash on right elbow. Sprained right wrist. Also: Miscellaneous scrapes and bruises but no leg injuries that I've noticed, which is great.

This was my first race-related crash this season.

Crash stats for the last 4 weeks (500 mi ridden, 80-150/week):

- Hit the ground 3 times (1 caused by car, 1 caused by bikes, 1 caused by slippery railroad tracks)

- 2 serious wrist sprains (left then right), 1 minor sprain (right)

- 1 bruised right knee

- 5 major patches of road rash: shoulder, hip, elbow, hands, knee

- 2 trips to Kaiser, getting 2 sets of Xrays and matching left and right wrist braces

- 2 cracked Bell Sweep R helmets

- fastest crash speed: 26mph during Henleyville

Crash stats for previous 12 months (8000 mi ridden, 150-250/week typical in season):

- Hit the ground 0 times

- 6 - 7 close calls in races involving direct body contact

- 3 - 4 near misses with cars making surprising / unsignaled moves

Track Fights 9/17 - 4th place

Got 4th place by picking up three 2nds and a 3rd. Alden Tanaka would have had points for 2nd place (bumping me to 5th) except that he went a lap down after missing a corner to avoid a guy.

This was the first time since the August crash that I felt like I had decent form. My tactics were typical for my points racing: follow most any wheel moving forward to stay with the lead or middle group as surges break the pack up but don't sprint without a good chance to get points. And move up to or off the front if it gets really slow. Basically, stay at 90% / LT as much as possible, then do a select few max efforts when it counts.

One of the 2nds was me thinking I could come around a Fusion guy at the last minute and I ran out room. Or I didn't jump hard enough or sustain it, given that my 5-10s power numbers weren't all that (900w vs. peak of 1182w).

Near the end, I made a good solo attempt when the pack slowed / swarmed before turn 3. I was moving up from near the back and just kept it rolling, then ramped it up. Averaged 630W for 30 sec, but Steve Paleaz (Cat 1, who won 7 of the sprints) caught me near the finish.

Good field and encouraging result. It really got me psyched up for Henleyville.

Data: http://www.trainingpeaks.com/UI/FlexWorkoutFileViewer.aspx?wid=26143772&wday=9/17/2008&fileId=1976976&num=2

Two Bridges Circuit Race (9/14, Folsom CA)

Quick update from what I'd posted on Twitter:

Fun course in Folsom. Longish laps (nearly 2mi) with some rollers and some technical corners. Got in a break with 3 to go. But we didn't work well enough together and only stayed clear for a half lap. Wasted plenty of energy in various moves, including a late move to get in position on the final run-in. Lots of fun and hope the race comes around again next year.

Crazy traffic though. Closing part of the main bridge for us really messed up some people's Sunday drive. It took me an extra 25 minutes to get into town, which didn't leave much time for a warm-up.

No data. Forgot my Power Tap bike computer.

SF Twilight Crit

This crit was lots of fun. The 3/4 pack was strong and relatively well behaved in the corners. The fast corner (turn 2, after slight downhill on Fillmore) was a blast. The Union St. location was great for drawing a crowd and non-bike friends could come out to watch.

Got a decent start (from the second row), which made it possible to hang on during the furious first 15 minutes. The start of the race was hard and we shed dozens off the back of the 100-man field, including some teammates that started near the back. Then it let up a bit, which meant both that I could move up (mainly after turn 2), but also that there was a lot of swarm, particularly in the two straight sections.

I was near the front a fair amount in the middle of the race. Drilled it out of turn 2 on a prime lap to be second wheel heading into turn 4, but didn't keep the pedal down 110%. Mixed it up a bit more, but missed out at the end. As the pace surged with three to go, I was on the rivet, then got gapped when a guy cut me off in turn 3 and I touched the brakes. I just tempoed it around for the final laps. This was my first real race after 2 falls and wasn't on form. But did feel much better than the Wednesday Track Fights session a couple days before.

It's too bad that there was a terrible crash on the start/finish stretch. I nearly got caught in it, rubbing shoulders and elbows with guys on my right who were right behind it. I managed to steer into a slight opening on the left, but was still 6 feet of more or less open road on my left. The guys that got the worst of it were a bit further back, where the pack was already flush with the barricades on the left side.

Race data:
http://www.trainingpeaks.com/tny.aspx?a=sw&key=HHistskDS7crbS5NP26joi47NbpmqNRR

Photos:

• http://hcphoto.smugmug.com/gallery/5974191_EDekc/1/372846976_SAmJx/Original
• http://www.veronikalenzi.com/sftwilight091308large-3.php?imagename=IMG_9585sftwilight091308.jpg

No Giro for me

Felt physically OK on the team ride on Saturday, but was obviously still recovering from the car incident and didn't have much confidence in the race-readiness of my old backup bike.

In the hour before the Giro di San Francisco, I went along the Embarcadero to warm up. On the way back, my front tire caught and slipped on the partially-paved over railroad tracks that run along the middle of the bike path next to the Aquatic Park. Went down on my right side, spraining the right wrist and getting road rash on my right hip.

No race for me. If I'd been 100% before the race, the minor injuries wouldn't have gotten in the way. But all the mishaps added up to me not being ready to do more than go through the motions. One of the best things about being an amateur is that it's all for fun, right? No pressure to race regardless of the conditions.

Wrapping up 2008 & Winding up for 2009

At work, now's the time when we're tightening up the plans for the rest of 2008 (key season for video game retail releases and consumer advertising revenue) and setting roadmaps and budgets for 2009.

My bike season is on the same trajectory. It's time to finish executing for this year, but I'm also actively planning for 2009.

After a moderately successful 10 weeks from late June through early August (4 top 10s, one podium), things have been pretty uneven the last few weeks. That's bike racing. I have to readjust my '08 goals (met one goal already: 3 top 10s), but do think there's enough time to take advantage of decent form and nice weather to eek out some additional upgrade points.

My September plans:

• No pressure for this coming weekend (optional: Benicia crit). First priority is to get my bike fixed and my injuries healed.
  
• Looking forward to the 3/4 SF Twilight race on 9/13 (for fun and experience) and the Folsom circuit race on 9/14 (though I don't know much about the course)
• September target is the Chico weekend: flat 56mi road race on 9/20 and downtown crit on 9/21
• Mt. Tam hillclimb is another target, if only to set a time I can use as a benchmark for future years.

Outline of what the 2009 race season might look like:

• Do occasional time trials and timed hillclimb events in offseason
  
• Start road racing in mid-February
• Get on the velodrome by March (for the training sessions, assuming Tues / Wed races start later)
• Pursue a steady diet of road races, with some crits mixed in. Hit the track a few times a month.
  
• Upgrade to 3s in first half of season (by June)
• Race no more than 3 weekends per month (not the 8-weekends-in-a-row I did in June/July)
  
• Take a real one-week break after Pescadero in mid/late June. (Not the mostly-still-racing break I took this year.) Then ease back into the second half of the year.
  
• Do 2 or 3 stage races. Madera plus one or more events out of the area.
  

October will be a mixed month, with some time off and a good amount of cross-training to kick off 2009 preparation. Today I was setting up my 2009 Annual Training Plan on Training Peaks, and it helped confirm what I'd had rolling around in my head: I have to kick off the easy, learning phase of my winter weight-training program by mid-October. I really ought to start planning out an early October vacation.

Those first weeks will be about learning form and getting a good routine in place. I did a weight program in the winter of 1995 with Cal Cycling and liked how we were coached to ease into it over a few weeks. That and the focus on form and high-reps (over high weight) seemed to help stave off injuries for those who participated. First step is get a gym membership. I'm planning to go to the Presidio Y, but need to get over there and check it out. I'll need a trainer for pointers on form, particularly on the higher-risk elements that are core to cycling programs: squats and dead lifts. Ideally, I'll be doing three weight sessions a week through November (Monday, Thurs, Sat), but we'll have to see if I can get into the routine.

I'm also looking to getting out on the occasional team ride (though maybe not until November). It seems like we've all missed having regular rides while we've been focused on racing, so the group rides these last couple weekends have been refreshing--but also unpredictably paced, giving me reasons to push the pace too hard (up to me, but I follow carrots), then slowing way down to allow regrouping. So I'll probably stick to doing no more than one weekend team ride, likely Saturday. I'm planning to put in regular endurance rides (3-5 hrs) on Sunday starting in November, weather permitting.

Mishaps and Injuries

The end of my 2008 season is near. The Mt. Tam Hillclimb on 9/27 will likely be my last mass-start race in 2008.

I'd been planning to keep giving it 100% and race most weekends through August and September, but the last few weeks have been filled with mishaps and injuries. First I had some soreness left over from cramping at Winters. Then I got hit by a car on 8/21 and had to skip San Ardo. Today I fell while warming up for the Giro di SF and skipped it. Today's fall was a shock to the body more than anything. The soreness in the right wrist probably won't be anything like the sprain I had in the left wrist from the car incident. I'm hoping to be training normally on Wednesday.

My bikes' have been through just as much. The Scott CR-1 didn't look too bad, but the shop recommendation was to avoid racing a carbon frame after a serious crash. Good news: Got repair money (full quote from shop) from the driver's insurance. Bad news: Can't get ahold of a Scott replacement frame until November. I might get a different frame, but haven't decided on what to get.

My alternate bike, a 1994 Waterford w/ Campy Chorus, has been more or less mothballed since I last needed it when my Scott got overhauled in the Spring. It really wasn't race ready today for the Giro, skipping a bit in some gear combinations and some wobbles in the wheels that got me to open up the brakes a fair bit, especially the rear. Chris at RMC let borrow a BH G4 demo bike this weekend (it was on my list of frame replacement options) but I wasn't going to race a borrowed bike in a crit. Well, the fall threw it a bit more out of whack, particularly the front wheel. Bike worries were probably the most unshakable reason I skipped the race today. I thought it was a good idea to let my body heal, but could have convinced myself to race if the bike had been OK.

First step: fix the Waterford. I'd already had an appointment scheduled at the shop for tomorrow morning (no time was open last week). They'll move over the Ultegra 10 triple components from the Scott, so I'll have a new drivetrain and will be able to use my regular Shimano Powertap wheelset, which is also being fixed (front wheel needs a rebuilt after car crash, rear needs a good true). A modern drivetrain and good wheelset will fix most of my issues with the Waterford and take the pressure off getting a new carbon frame right away. I'll also be able to get power data again, which I've been missing.

Next: Decide on a new frame and order new components. For the components, I'm looking at a mix of SRAM Red and Force (all Red, except for ceramic BB and Powerdome cassette, which seem pointlessly expensive relative to Force). From the early online reports, I was enthusiastic about the 2009 Dura-Ace but it's ridiculously expensive (2x Red for crank and 50% more for shifters). Apart from the frame and drivetrain, I'll salvage parts from the Scott. Only the bar, frame, and front wheel was rendered unusable. Other stuff was scuffed, but can be used.

I'm also on the lookout for end-of-season deals on 2007/2008 complete bikes, given how the retail cost of a frame and components seems to pretty much equal the retail cost of a complete bike from a given manufacturer. For example, I paid $2800 for my CR-1 Pro in 2005 (and in 2008, it was still selling for around that), but the retail frame cost is $2000. Bare frames hit a different consumer segment than complete bikes with mid-range components, I guess.

In any case, the various mishaps aren't all that serious and prior to August, I'd been pretty lucky, so there's no complaining.

Winters RR - 8/16

9/1 note: Had most of this written the other week after results were posted. Caught up on it today as a part of a lazy crash-recovery afternoon. Also set up a bike blog:
http://velocirambling.blogspot.com/



Winters RR - 8/16

Winters was quite the disappointment. Felt good and had high hopes for the podium, but cramped on the final descent.

In a nutshell:
- Didn't get my number until 5 minutes before the start. First race I waitlisted for and there was plenty of room, but VeloPromo didn't release the waitlist until the last minute.

- Only Mouse in the 4s race, so I sucked wheel midpack as much as I could for the first couple hours. Enjoyed the super-slow, very chatty first half of lap 1.

- Didn't take a bottle on lap 1 through the feedzone. Probably could have used the plain water, since I never down the sports drink that quickly early on, especially when it's cool.

- Didn't think the climb was a big deal on lap 1, though I was watching surges and trying near the front. Started marking guys who were setting tempo on the hills.

- Felt great on the climb on lap 2, sitting around 5th at the top with a leading group of 12 or so. Good power 3 minute power hill, like Stage Road @ Pescadero or Legion of Honor on the N side... good profile for me. Thought the group might keep the pace up and make the selection stick, but guys sat up right after the hard-right corner at the bottom and a couple attacks didn't really animate things.

- Had a scary moment on the slight downhill after we all regrouped and guys were moving from the back to the front. Guy came along fast and silent on my right when there was only a couple feet of room from the cliff. I shifted over slightly, moving over with the pack and suddenly we're rubbing elbows and leaning on each other for 10-20s until we get our balance and disengage.

- Thought the slowness of the flats on laps 2 and 3 was silly. Did nothing on lap 2. Played around too much on lap 3, following and countering attacks and setting tempo at the front. Dumb waste of energy.

- Only took one bottle in the feed on lap 2. Big mistake! Was thirsty on lap 3, though I had a bit of sports drink left. Missed neutral feed and called out to Katy and Nole. Very grateful for the bottle, but no time to drink until after the climb.

- Felt decent in the rollers to the feedzone on lap 3, but knew I was tiring and hoped others were too. Worked to get good position on rollers after the feedzone, but didn't have the power when the going got steep. Drifted back a bit, but ran out of room quickly. Only 6-7 stayed together on the climb, with 4-5 gapped by small amounts. I hit the top around 12th.

- Near the top, I was conscious of pushing over the crest and being efficient in getting back up to speed. Barreled down the descent and took some risks going on the inside of the U-turn around the Women's groups we were running into. Tucked and was really pushing downhill when it straightened out heading into the hard-right.

- With a chase group in view just ahead, I cramped in my calves and behind the left knee. I tried to push on through, seeing that the safety of a group was just ahead by a few seconds, but had to ease up.

- Sat up, caught a chase group (best finisher: 12th) and sat in for a while. Felt better, took a pull, cramped some more. Sat up, caught another chase group, sat in, felt better, took a pull, cramped. Sat up.

- I was tooling along real slow thinking that everyone must have passed me by this point. Recreational rider (no number) came along and passed me. But when I caught the next chase group, I'd had enough. I just wanted to get home, so no working for me, just wheelsucking. It was only 3 mi or so anyway.

- Then the finish came along. I knew it well after studying it closely on the first two laps. Surprisingly, I found myself alert and primed to sprint. Watched for a move. Followed a super-weak attack at 1km. Waited. Passed 200m. Jumped at around 150m and spun it up. Looked under my arm at 50m and saw a huge gap. Best moment in the race, if only for the endorphins.

- Basically rode straight back to the start, looking for water. No such luck. Found a convenience store and bought a gallon. Great stuff.


Result: 20th (of ~42 starters).

Data: http://www.trainingpeaks.com/tny.aspx?a=sw&key=HHistskDS7cF%2FDN6%2BLym2lx6RPecNtJ2