Tour of the Battenkill pre-ride

Took the ride up to Cambridge, NY this past Sunday for another look at the Tour of the Battenkill course. It is an all new course this year with 64 miles for my particular race. I had a good ride and thought it was a fun course with lots of climbing, about 4000 ft, actually. I enjoy climbing so I feel like I have an advantage on a course like this, but only time will tell. I was able to catch a ride up there with some of the Gotham Bikes boys, which was much appreciated. Unfortunately, one of them crashed and broke his collarbone. He seemed like a nice guy so that was a damper on an otherwise great day for me. There was a good turnout for the ride but not nearly the 2200 that are signed up for the race. Obviously I would have liked to get a look at some of those guys I will race against. The only good news is they haven't seen me yet either so there will be surprises going both ways I suppose. Got my machine working well, got my legs feeling strong, I feel confident, all that is left is to go out there and perform on April 10th.

1st Training Race 03/06/2011

Well, the racing season has officially started for me as of Sunday. It was a very short, 12 mile crit in Central Park. There was a 10 or 20% chance of light rain, so I should have guessed that would have meant 100% chance of rain here in Gotham City, NY. Despite, my close monitoring of the weather, I was poorly dressed for the conditions. Funny how low 50's with an icy drizzle might feel a little like a game winning Gatorade bath, but I digress. So, I get to the event about an hour before race start (No rain yet), sign in, and get my race number. Now it is about 30 minutes before race start, time to warm up. I  jump on the bike and do a couple loops in the park. 5 minutes before race start I am at the line and warmed up, and here is the light rain. To be honest, I have trained for this and had an idea it would rain, so bring on the rain big guy. OK, 10 minutes after race start, only we have not started racing and I am standing there in the drizzle. Warm up, pretty much gone. Cool down, complete. The good news is everyone is in the same boat. I noticed there are a lot of team kits in my cat 5 group. Actually, everyone was part of a team except me and maybe one or two other guys. A few guys were talking about past years races at that venue and I was wondering why they were still in cat 5 if they had raced multiple years? (hmmm another post topic coming soon) Finally, the race starts and we are full speed almost from go. This is just a training race for me so I am just riding with the group and getting my legs back. I already decided not to be too aggressive like I usually am. Well, I was immediately swallowed up and dumped out the back, while being cut off and bumped multiple times in the first few minutes. Aggression is better, so I turn on the jets and get to the front few spots and stay there. There were a few early breakaways and I chased them all down. Remember, training race so have some fun, right? Near the end of the first lap (of two), I was with a good jump of three guys, but they blew up and I was stuck out until the group came flying by at 30mph. I got back in the group and tried to secure a place in the middle. I heard about the crazy antics here in the park with racers cutting each other off and crashes. Then, here it comes, out of control racer guy veers right into my front wheel and I get tossed into another racer to my left. Having just barely avoided a 30mph yard sale, I slowed to 10mph and started my sprint to catch back up to the group. I realized my TT pace of 27mph was not going to catch the 28-29mph of the group. Time for a nice solo ride through Central Park. I waited for a few dropped racers and finished up just in front of them in (not sure what) place. When I stopped I noticed my rear brake was pushed snugly over into my wheel and rubbing nicely. I felt strong and felt fast so I know I will make it back there and win before the end of the season. It was fun, and a learning experience. I had the mindset to train and have fun for this one. If I was there to win, the weather conditions and the careless racing of others would not have factored in at all. I wasn't noticed by any other racers (especially the one who swerved into my wheel) and no one knows how fast I really am. I will put on a display for them soon.

Early Season Races

There are so many races to do in the Northeast, unfortunately none of which are anywhere near the east end of Long Island, where I am currently being held hostage. I put myself in a bit of a jam. I want to be cat 4 as soon as possible, but need a couple more races to get there still. I can't upgrade until after the Battenkill because if I give up my spot in my group, I may not get to race at all. I decided I will race a couple of early races in NYC. There is a NYC Spring Bike Race Series held in Central park and also Prospect park. Looks like it should be fun, cold, but fun. The start is March 6 at around 6:30 A.M. It is what it is though and I really don't have much of a choice here if I want to upgrade and be racing cat 4 most of this year. I am just looking to get some racing in before the big races get here. This seems like a well put together series, so I think I will try to race a few of these if my schedule permits. Although, logistically it looks like a nightmare getting there from Long Island and then having to park on the street. Hopefully there will be some fast guys there so I can test how my training is going thus far. I feel great and have loads of power, but racing is different than training and the only way to know for sure is to race. Well, if the weather holds out, I should have some actual racing to talk about in about a week. Keep training hard everyone, and who knows, maybe I will even see you there.

Your Race Results

Let me give everyone some advice, keep a log of all of your race results! Do not assume that they are or will be posted online and you can just get them when you need them. Take the time to make a log either on your computer or good old fashioned paper. I was recently writing a race resume and went to the website where the results had been for months and sure enough, purged! I didn't take careful notes of a few races and now I have to contact the race director and ask him to send them to me. It was a little awkward and embarrassing because I am usually pretty organized with things like that but took for granted that I could just go online and get them anytime. I guess it will have to just be another one of those little life lessons. Don't let this happen to you!

Making Time To Train Properly

Unless you are a pro and get paid to ride bikes, chances are you have a life that does not revolve around cycling. There are a lot of things to get done in a day and the least of which seems to be getting into that basement or garage and getting on a trainer. Maybe your spouse doesn't see why it is so important for you to spend an hour or two working out, and since you really don't feel like doing it anyway, you just skip it for another time. Well, it is almost March and if you have been either going through the motions or just skipping altogether, you need to get your butt into gear now unless you want to be, that guy. We all know who that guy is. That guy is the one who is off the back on every climb, every single time the pace picks up on the flats, or after about 20 miles, regardless of the pace. You don't have to be that guy. All you have to do is some focused intervals for a period of time for each. For instance, a week of sprinting intervals followed by a week of climbing, then maybe some steady state intervals for a week. Don't forget to add in rest when needed. Rest is just as important as the interval itself. The most important thing is that you are getting back into a routine and getting your legs used to working again so you won't end up being that guy when spring gets here and it's time to ride with the group. Stick to your routine and you might just be one of the guys doing the dropping. Good luck and see you out there!

Another Snowy Day

As a cyclist, I should be staring out of my window at the snow and long for the day when I can jump on the bike and go for a long ride...or should I? For myself, it is a bit of a blessing to not have any distractions and to be able to just pound out intervals on my trainer, when and how they are prescribed. Training indoors is very structured and controlled whereas training outside you have to contend with traffic, weather, and your buddies who want to hammer to the next sign post every chance they get. Maybe you are like me and have some friends that want you to go with them for that same old loop at that same old pace where nobody is improving, at best, maybe maintaining some fitness. I say, let it snow! Everyone else can stare out of their window. I will be staring at a wall in my basement thinking about dropping all of the back benchers on the hills or out in the wind on the flats come spring.

48 Days until Battenkill

Well, here it is, Sunday and seven weeks before the Tour of the Battenkill. The Tour of the Battenkill is a 64 mile road race that features dirt and gravel with plenty of climbing as well. It is a difficult ride and I recommend this race to anyone who wants to find out just how tough they are on a bike. This will be my first full season of competitive road racing but I am looking to do very well there in my first race of the season. I will be Cat 5 for this race and then will move to Cat 4 right away. I have been training hard for not just the Battenkill, but a few other events I have circled to race during the year. Most of the road races I have chosen have a significant amount of climbing involved. The weather has not cooperated much here in the Northeast for me to do much in the way of hill climbing outside on actual hills. The good news is that nobody else from the Northeast is outside on the hills either! If it comes down to who is training harder and/or smarter, I like my chances. I have been following a program that I wrote for myself after riding the non-competitive version of Battenkill last fall. There are some climbs approaching 20% gradient and a few of those are on dirt. That means no standing and powering up the hill. You have to stay in the saddle and just work at a steady pace. There are a few tricky corners as well, so I will have to get out on the road and practice being sharp on the corners when the weather improves. For now though, I am only concerned with strength and power. Looking forward to using the fitness I have gained over the last few months. It is very important to have goals while training over the winter and the Battenkill has been a great motivator for me. Pick a race that you would like to do well in and get training now. Focus on your weaknesses and your strengths will improve too. Train hard and you will be successful. Good luck.