I showed up to the Goodwood circuit race on Tuesday night for some much needed intensity. It’s a race much like SIR, completely flat, but about 3 times as long and we more curves.
The field was pretty small (70 total, maybe), maybe it was due to the World Cup England-Sweden game that night.
It was nice night, no rain, a bit windy, well really windy. As normal in mid week training races the pace started fast, and never slowed down. Right of the bat I get into a four man break, that lasts until about a lap later when 12 or so more guys bridge up.
Attack after attack goes off, we pull through and bring them all back. More annoying is that when some of us continuously pull though, others keep attacking and breaking up the chase. I’m at 100% just about the entire hour and a half. The pace is so high, and the attacks and splits so frequent that there is hardly ever any breathing room. No if I could just do this every week, I would get strong. With about 4 laps to go I can tell that some riders are getting tired, as the pace drops slightly between attacking. There are a lot of really fast riders, but maybe they don’t all have the endurance to keep it up much longer.
At some point 4 riders slip of the front, and which them working together without attacking each other they mange to stay away. With a lap to go 2 more guys slip of, I’m sure they come back as I sit on the strongest rider, and wait for the sprint. Well riders I’m sitting is either bluffing, just got really tired, because he does nothing to get it back, he sits second wheel the last mile or so… well I guess we are sprinting for 7th. My group is now probably nine riders big, with several guys sitting on the last few laps.
I consider starting my sprint early, but hold back because of the strong wind, and the fact that I have no clue how these guys can sprint. My misstake though, when the sprint starts I’m in fourth position, and end up forth…closing in but to late… oh well 10th for the night not too bad. It’s been a few weeks since I’d done any intensity like this, and it went ok.
Wednesday night I find another race( Eelmore). This course is only 5miles from the hotel…sweet… I ride there and back. This course is considerably shorter and even flatter.
This event is much smaller and only about 25 riders line up in the E-2 category.
I race a bit smarter, and don’t waste too much energy early. Once again though, a few riders split of the front in the tail wind section. I’m not used to racing against complete unknowns, it’s hard not knowing who can stay away and who you know will come back.
With two laps two go, a attack my group and bridge up to a group of 6, with still 3 more of the front. I manage 4th in the windy sprint again….
After two days of long full out efforts and wind… I’m tired… it was fun to race again… but it sure is different then just riding around the country side.
The next weekend I try to find a regular road race, but everyone I can find the fields are long filed… oh well, next time I’ll have to sign up a few weeks in advance.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Friday, June 16, 2006
Summer in England
Farnham
The day after Mt Hood I was of to England.
It took a week to recover from the last few weeks of racing and get over the cold I had at MT Hood, and it got worse before it got better....
I've been riding everyday, mostly easy rides, to get me back into the swing, of things. The first few days I really had the heavy leg feeling, I struggled on all the rollers.
After a week of easy riding, 30-40 miles a time, I took a day of compleatly. The next day I was really supprised how good I felt, my body had clealy needed some rest to recover and get over the final cold.
I went for a 40 mile rolling ride, pushing hard the entire time...it felt good, I had some acceleration and I could keep the speed up over the rollers and small hills....it felt great.
I've been working second shift the entire time so far, so no mid week racing, wich was actually probably good for me. Next week though I've manged to switch...Tuseday I'm of to Goodwood, and hopefully race Sean Yates...I'm already looking forward to it. Wednesday a local crit series.... too bad I can't find a good road race, it looks like they suffer from the same thing we do back in Seattle...Crit summer. Well there is a 5 day stage race that starts friday...maybe if I could sneak into that...I could probably do the friday TT, and then race both saturday and Sunday, before simply skipping the last two stages.
Well back to work...
The day after Mt Hood I was of to England.
It took a week to recover from the last few weeks of racing and get over the cold I had at MT Hood, and it got worse before it got better....
I've been riding everyday, mostly easy rides, to get me back into the swing, of things. The first few days I really had the heavy leg feeling, I struggled on all the rollers.
After a week of easy riding, 30-40 miles a time, I took a day of compleatly. The next day I was really supprised how good I felt, my body had clealy needed some rest to recover and get over the final cold.
I went for a 40 mile rolling ride, pushing hard the entire time...it felt good, I had some acceleration and I could keep the speed up over the rollers and small hills....it felt great.
I've been working second shift the entire time so far, so no mid week racing, wich was actually probably good for me. Next week though I've manged to switch...Tuseday I'm of to Goodwood, and hopefully race Sean Yates...I'm already looking forward to it. Wednesday a local crit series.... too bad I can't find a good road race, it looks like they suffer from the same thing we do back in Seattle...Crit summer. Well there is a 5 day stage race that starts friday...maybe if I could sneak into that...I could probably do the friday TT, and then race both saturday and Sunday, before simply skipping the last two stages.
Well back to work...
Monday, June 05, 2006
Mt Hood
Well my previous mentioned plan worked a bit too good.
This weekend at Mt Hood, the last big (and biggest) race for me before I head of to England for a month ended early. I wasn't feeling too good on Monday and Tuesday.. but Hey I might get better. The first day we only had a 3 mile TT, hey I can do that, no problem. I started ok, but ran out of energy about 2min too early and slugged my way up the last hill. My body was aching and I had a fever...well I get a day of rest and tomorrows stage shouldn't be so bad.
Well it was worse then it looked. My legs were empty all day, I swear I had a dragging hub, brake or both. Something was not right.
I stayed in mostly but was working way too hard, it just didn't feel right.
If that wasn't enough, with about 5k to go as we came down the hill and made the sharp right turn my back wheel just about went out from under me...sweet... I had a slow leak and I was down low and fishtailing around the corners...the fact that it was a tubular saved me… the last few K were fast and curvy…if I stopped for a new wheel I knew I would never gat back on and loose time, so I kept my weight forward and buried my self to stay on the best I could. Finally at 1k I lost contact as the pack speed up for the sprint…I lost 15sec, which considering wasn’t that bad…. But I worked way too hard to do it, I was dead.
That evening and especially next morning I wasn’t feeling good at all, my fever was flaring up and I was feeling weak. If I could get by the first two stages, the third would be very different, 94miles and 9000ft of climbing. It was raining, but not too cold.
First lap started ok, but right before the KOM my legs gave out, suddenly I had nothing…it was a weird feeling. It was close enough to the top though, so I got back on as soon as we started to descend.
Next lap, my legs went earlier…I moved up front with about ½ mile before the right turn to the copper spur, then in an instant as the grade changed slightly I went straight back though the pack, by the time we actually made the turn I only had 2 riders behind me.. My legs felt like jelly, I had nothing… I was going as hard as I could and my HR would not go over 160…yeah I was in trouble. As I crossed the top, I knew I could probably catch back on, but what for?, I would only get dropped earlier next lap…and I really wasn’t feeling good. I pulled the plug and stepped of. It was a harder decision then it might seam. In all my years of racing I have never quit a race, never. But this time it would be stupid to continue.
The rest of the weekend went kind of slow, sure if was fun to watch the crit and try and help my teammates and friends in the feed zone…but it was hard not being out there.
Monday, and I’m sicker then I’ve been in a long time, so it was probably good I didn’t keep pushing it.
I’m off in a few hours, I’ll bring my bike and slowly get back into riding and racing… the summer is here and by no means am I done…
This weekend at Mt Hood, the last big (and biggest) race for me before I head of to England for a month ended early. I wasn't feeling too good on Monday and Tuesday.. but Hey I might get better. The first day we only had a 3 mile TT, hey I can do that, no problem. I started ok, but ran out of energy about 2min too early and slugged my way up the last hill. My body was aching and I had a fever...well I get a day of rest and tomorrows stage shouldn't be so bad.
Well it was worse then it looked. My legs were empty all day, I swear I had a dragging hub, brake or both. Something was not right.
I stayed in mostly but was working way too hard, it just didn't feel right.
If that wasn't enough, with about 5k to go as we came down the hill and made the sharp right turn my back wheel just about went out from under me...sweet... I had a slow leak and I was down low and fishtailing around the corners...the fact that it was a tubular saved me… the last few K were fast and curvy…if I stopped for a new wheel I knew I would never gat back on and loose time, so I kept my weight forward and buried my self to stay on the best I could. Finally at 1k I lost contact as the pack speed up for the sprint…I lost 15sec, which considering wasn’t that bad…. But I worked way too hard to do it, I was dead.
That evening and especially next morning I wasn’t feeling good at all, my fever was flaring up and I was feeling weak. If I could get by the first two stages, the third would be very different, 94miles and 9000ft of climbing. It was raining, but not too cold.
First lap started ok, but right before the KOM my legs gave out, suddenly I had nothing…it was a weird feeling. It was close enough to the top though, so I got back on as soon as we started to descend.
Next lap, my legs went earlier…I moved up front with about ½ mile before the right turn to the copper spur, then in an instant as the grade changed slightly I went straight back though the pack, by the time we actually made the turn I only had 2 riders behind me.. My legs felt like jelly, I had nothing… I was going as hard as I could and my HR would not go over 160…yeah I was in trouble. As I crossed the top, I knew I could probably catch back on, but what for?, I would only get dropped earlier next lap…and I really wasn’t feeling good. I pulled the plug and stepped of. It was a harder decision then it might seam. In all my years of racing I have never quit a race, never. But this time it would be stupid to continue.
The rest of the weekend went kind of slow, sure if was fun to watch the crit and try and help my teammates and friends in the feed zone…but it was hard not being out there.
Monday, and I’m sicker then I’ve been in a long time, so it was probably good I didn’t keep pushing it.
I’m off in a few hours, I’ll bring my bike and slowly get back into riding and racing… the summer is here and by no means am I done…
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