After posting about meeting my road goal for the year, I asked...now what? Simple answer...do it again. Except, I didn't ride from Tuesday until the following Monday night when I got in a 1 hour trainer ride. Hardly the appropriate level of effort to sustain where I was...
Got dropped in 12 minutes the week after hanging in for 46....go figure :)
I'll work on getting in my miles and intervals a little more consistently.
The other goal is the track upgrade to a Cat 3. I've missed the last two Friday night races at the Superdrome, so tonight I'll be trying to play catch up with the rest of the 35+/Cat 4 dudes. Except Ken Munson...he can go right ahead and take off. Sooner he hits the 3s, the better :)
Tonight:
Scratch race
Snowball (I hate snowballs)
Long Scratch
Whee!
Cyclist to pray for: Paula. Went down last Friday and damaged all sorts of body parts, but is back home and recuperating.
DB
Friday, May 15, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Goal met...now what?
I have 2 "results" goals for this year:
Track: Earn a Cat 3 upgrade - in progress
Road: Pack finish in a Cat 4 race (FDM crit or otherwise) - Done!
Despite the overcast skies and threats of rain, the racing was on last night in Plano. In the B race, I decided to expand upon the testing of the bigger gears that started last week. Out of turn 1 ever lap I jumped up to a gear or two higher than I normally have in the past, and for the most part it worked.
I was too far in the back a number of times but was able to work my way up when necessary. I was also using a cornering technique I learned from Coach Steen and that was a raging success, especially given how squirelly the pack was last night. Too many people trying to force 5 wide in corners and then having to hit the brakes. Ugh.
All in all, I was still in mid-pack when the bell rang. I backed off to let the sprinters and assorted other crazy guys fight for first place or crash or whatever. Some sprinted, some crashed.
I got my pack finish, and am very happy about it. Praise God for the safety and good sportsmanship all around. Even the crashers looked ok.
Next road goal: Do it again, and decent showing at state crit in late May.
Cyclist to pray for: MG - migraines are no fun.
DB
Track: Earn a Cat 3 upgrade - in progress
Road: Pack finish in a Cat 4 race (FDM crit or otherwise) - Done!
Despite the overcast skies and threats of rain, the racing was on last night in Plano. In the B race, I decided to expand upon the testing of the bigger gears that started last week. Out of turn 1 ever lap I jumped up to a gear or two higher than I normally have in the past, and for the most part it worked.
I was too far in the back a number of times but was able to work my way up when necessary. I was also using a cornering technique I learned from Coach Steen and that was a raging success, especially given how squirelly the pack was last night. Too many people trying to force 5 wide in corners and then having to hit the brakes. Ugh.
All in all, I was still in mid-pack when the bell rang. I backed off to let the sprinters and assorted other crazy guys fight for first place or crash or whatever. Some sprinted, some crashed.
I got my pack finish, and am very happy about it. Praise God for the safety and good sportsmanship all around. Even the crashers looked ok.
Next road goal: Do it again, and decent showing at state crit in late May.
Cyclist to pray for: MG - migraines are no fun.
DB
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Strong riding
Not too much happened out of the norm for a bit there after my last post...same old crit results, track rain outs, etc.
I did experiment with a larger gear than I normally run at the Plano crit on 4/28, with some success. Sadly, I was a lap down when I did this but the results were interesting. The draft of the pack makes a lot of difference. Thanks to my spontaneous coach for reminding me I wasn't on the track and was spinning way too high...
Saturday was Day1 of the MS150 in DFW. Due to Swine Flu considerations, Day 2 was re-routed to stay out of downtown Ft. Worth. Due to weather considerations, it was later cancelled altogether. Team Coooper Fitness/IC3 started out with 5 of our team, and two others caught up at the first rest stop we hit. Then one more at lunch. We were riding really well as a team, keeping solid pace and having a great time. Overall we finished a bit apart. I was (surprisingly) in the first bunch of 4 to get to TMS with an average of 19.3 over 83 miles. By far my longest and strongest ride of the year, despite being on training hoops with a heavy seat bag full of tubes and tools. Felt strong at the end, and took Sunday off to rest and watch the Mavericks in round 2 of the playoffs. Recovery days are good. Recovery weeks? Hate 'em.
Cyclist to pray for: MTB - broken parts all over....got hit by a car when not even riding.
DB
I did experiment with a larger gear than I normally run at the Plano crit on 4/28, with some success. Sadly, I was a lap down when I did this but the results were interesting. The draft of the pack makes a lot of difference. Thanks to my spontaneous coach for reminding me I wasn't on the track and was spinning way too high...
Saturday was Day1 of the MS150 in DFW. Due to Swine Flu considerations, Day 2 was re-routed to stay out of downtown Ft. Worth. Due to weather considerations, it was later cancelled altogether. Team Coooper Fitness/IC3 started out with 5 of our team, and two others caught up at the first rest stop we hit. Then one more at lunch. We were riding really well as a team, keeping solid pace and having a great time. Overall we finished a bit apart. I was (surprisingly) in the first bunch of 4 to get to TMS with an average of 19.3 over 83 miles. By far my longest and strongest ride of the year, despite being on training hoops with a heavy seat bag full of tubes and tools. Felt strong at the end, and took Sunday off to rest and watch the Mavericks in round 2 of the playoffs. Recovery days are good. Recovery weeks? Hate 'em.
Cyclist to pray for: MTB - broken parts all over....got hit by a car when not even riding.
DB
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
FDM Crit 4/21
Go fast, turn right. For 28 minutes.
An improvement of 13 minutes over the last 2 weeks and the best of the year. Saturday's Ivan Mukasa race did me some good mentally and physically, and additional saddle time Monday afternoon helped as well. Legs are starting to come around to longer distances at intensity.
I changed my warmup a bit, with a little less time in Z2, and added an additional 30 second sprint, with the normal 10 minutes for staging. Seemed to open up the legs and lungs a bit better.
At one point the race was just a smooth flow, pedaling through the corners smoothly, finding the right line, hiding well, etc. Looked at the computer once at 4 minutes and again at 24....just out of curiosity. Avg. MPH 1/2 lap after I dropped was 25.2. I heard 25.7 from a top finisher. That's pretty quick for an old fat guy :)
Doing at least 2 hours tomorrow, track Friday, Matrix Challenge Saturday. Track is the focus, MC is for fun since its free. And flat :)
Cyclist to pray for: SK.
DB
An improvement of 13 minutes over the last 2 weeks and the best of the year. Saturday's Ivan Mukasa race did me some good mentally and physically, and additional saddle time Monday afternoon helped as well. Legs are starting to come around to longer distances at intensity.
I changed my warmup a bit, with a little less time in Z2, and added an additional 30 second sprint, with the normal 10 minutes for staging. Seemed to open up the legs and lungs a bit better.
At one point the race was just a smooth flow, pedaling through the corners smoothly, finding the right line, hiding well, etc. Looked at the computer once at 4 minutes and again at 24....just out of curiosity. Avg. MPH 1/2 lap after I dropped was 25.2. I heard 25.7 from a top finisher. That's pretty quick for an old fat guy :)
Doing at least 2 hours tomorrow, track Friday, Matrix Challenge Saturday. Track is the focus, MC is for fun since its free. And flat :)
Cyclist to pray for: SK.
DB
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Ivan Mukasa circuit race report
Saturday, April 18 was the Ivan Mukasa Memorial Circuit race in Slidell, TX at Eagles Canyon raceway.
This is a motorcycle (and cars?) race track, 2.5 miles, lots of turns and way more up/down than I was expecting. I really thought it was much flatter. Oops.
I want to thank Andy Hollinger, Team Bicycles, Inc and all of the volunteers for making this a great event! Nicely done folks.
I entered the 35+/Cat 4 category, which I affectionately refer to as the "dad class." Normally for road events I'm in the Cat 4. I really was simply looking to see how the two compared from a handling and speed standpoint.
The handling is about the same, but I could definitely tell this was a category full of guys with wives, kids and jobs to get back to...not a bunch of win at all costs, testosterone fueled maniacs!
The speed was hard to compare, given the multiple times on each lap we were going up or down some rise on the course.
We started off nice and easy on the first lap, really just taking a look at the course "at speed." It ramped up a bit after that. A few guys took solo flyers just to see if they would stick, but we brought them back without working too hard. Some of these flyers went directly into the wind and little chance of success. On a course with this many turns, you have headwind, crosswind and tailwind several times per lap.
The climbing got to me on the 4th lap. I made it up the short, steep one on the backside, but blew my lungs in the process and coasted the downhill straightaway to recover and waved the wheel truck by. Normally at this point I head for the pits. But...since this is such a unique venue, I decided to go ahead and just enjoy the ride. There were two other riders behind me that popped before I did, so I raced them the rest of the way, staying ahead as best I could. I almost got caught at the end by the trailing rider and the pack. Managed a 33rd place out of 35 scored finishers. Not Last!
Key takeaway for a fat, old cyclist in the rookie ranks:
22 minutes on a rolling, windy course is a stronger performance than 15-20 minutes on a flat Tuesday night crit course :)
Cyclist to pray for: Bryan S. Haven't heard from him in awhile...
DB
This is a motorcycle (and cars?) race track, 2.5 miles, lots of turns and way more up/down than I was expecting. I really thought it was much flatter. Oops.
I want to thank Andy Hollinger, Team Bicycles, Inc and all of the volunteers for making this a great event! Nicely done folks.
I entered the 35+/Cat 4 category, which I affectionately refer to as the "dad class." Normally for road events I'm in the Cat 4. I really was simply looking to see how the two compared from a handling and speed standpoint.
The handling is about the same, but I could definitely tell this was a category full of guys with wives, kids and jobs to get back to...not a bunch of win at all costs, testosterone fueled maniacs!
The speed was hard to compare, given the multiple times on each lap we were going up or down some rise on the course.
We started off nice and easy on the first lap, really just taking a look at the course "at speed." It ramped up a bit after that. A few guys took solo flyers just to see if they would stick, but we brought them back without working too hard. Some of these flyers went directly into the wind and little chance of success. On a course with this many turns, you have headwind, crosswind and tailwind several times per lap.
The climbing got to me on the 4th lap. I made it up the short, steep one on the backside, but blew my lungs in the process and coasted the downhill straightaway to recover and waved the wheel truck by. Normally at this point I head for the pits. But...since this is such a unique venue, I decided to go ahead and just enjoy the ride. There were two other riders behind me that popped before I did, so I raced them the rest of the way, staying ahead as best I could. I almost got caught at the end by the trailing rider and the pack. Managed a 33rd place out of 35 scored finishers. Not Last!
Key takeaway for a fat, old cyclist in the rookie ranks:
22 minutes on a rolling, windy course is a stronger performance than 15-20 minutes on a flat Tuesday night crit course :)
Cyclist to pray for: Bryan S. Haven't heard from him in awhile...
DB
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Ugh...where was my head?
Somedays you're on, some not...
Last week, I stayed in the weekly crit for 15 minutes and felt pretty strong even though I pulled out.
This week, I stayed in the weekly crit for 15 minutes and it was a death march suffer fest. Mentally I was never there. Lined up too far back, never moved up even when I could. Bad lines, in the wind....all the wrong things.
Sleep? Stress? over/under trained? Who knows :)
At least I got to help someone by lending my training wheel out in the A race. Yay for doing the right thing!
Cyclist to pray for: Landon, and his torn meniscus...
DB
Last week, I stayed in the weekly crit for 15 minutes and felt pretty strong even though I pulled out.
This week, I stayed in the weekly crit for 15 minutes and it was a death march suffer fest. Mentally I was never there. Lined up too far back, never moved up even when I could. Bad lines, in the wind....all the wrong things.
Sleep? Stress? over/under trained? Who knows :)
At least I got to help someone by lending my training wheel out in the A race. Yay for doing the right thing!
Cyclist to pray for: Landon, and his torn meniscus...
DB
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Track report
Friday was a great day at the Superdrome.
The youth development session saw kids rolling around all over the place, including three fresh faces that I was able to get through 'Kevin class.' One can be easy or hard...3 can take the whole session easily depending on their current bike skills and how quickly they learn. By the end of the devo time, all three were up on the track to some degree or another doing the "up and over" drill with Suzie. Very cool :)
The first night of Friday night racing started at 7:30 with somewhere around 90 racers, which is huge for a track event. I raced in the 35+/Cat4 category as usual on this night of scratch races.
My results were 3rd, 10th and 7th. Good enough for 6 out of 15 in the omnium. The second race shuold have been better but I made the mental mistake of working at the front too much and the entire group went by when I went uptrack with 7 to go. Spent the next few laps trying to work forward again.
The 3rd race (20 laps) was going too slow for my taste so I took off the front with a half lap standing sprint 2 or 3 laps in. The group let me go for 6 or 7 laps before they started chasing. Once they got close enough I sat up and recovered for a bit before trying to move into position.
Overall, I'm pleased with my results. Went with a new warmup and "between races" protocol, but didn't get all of the warmup I should have...started late. More tweaking to come.
Cyclist to pray for: Rob S. involved in a crash Friday night....sore, but ok and healing. No lasting damage.
DB
The youth development session saw kids rolling around all over the place, including three fresh faces that I was able to get through 'Kevin class.' One can be easy or hard...3 can take the whole session easily depending on their current bike skills and how quickly they learn. By the end of the devo time, all three were up on the track to some degree or another doing the "up and over" drill with Suzie. Very cool :)
The first night of Friday night racing started at 7:30 with somewhere around 90 racers, which is huge for a track event. I raced in the 35+/Cat4 category as usual on this night of scratch races.
My results were 3rd, 10th and 7th. Good enough for 6 out of 15 in the omnium. The second race shuold have been better but I made the mental mistake of working at the front too much and the entire group went by when I went uptrack with 7 to go. Spent the next few laps trying to work forward again.
The 3rd race (20 laps) was going too slow for my taste so I took off the front with a half lap standing sprint 2 or 3 laps in. The group let me go for 6 or 7 laps before they started chasing. Once they got close enough I sat up and recovered for a bit before trying to move into position.
Overall, I'm pleased with my results. Went with a new warmup and "between races" protocol, but didn't get all of the warmup I should have...started late. More tweaking to come.
Cyclist to pray for: Rob S. involved in a crash Friday night....sore, but ok and healing. No lasting damage.
DB
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