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My trials continue

Friday, August 5th, 2011

Arriving at the Greenville Spinners Time Trial event last night, I found the trees being blown back and forth. A storm was approaching the course and everyone was checking their smart phones to see what the radar indicated. It was tempting to pack it up and plan for another day, but this was the last Spinners’ TT of the year. I waited to find out what would happen.

Spinners' TT start

Getting ready to start final 2011 Spinners' TT

While I waited, I went out on the course. Going out from the start line the wind was at my back. Tailwinds are funny. You don’t feel them. You just feel like you are flying. There is an amount of wind resistance in front of you as your power keeps you in front of the wind pushing from behind. Sometimes you don’t realize you have the assistance until you are out of it.

Then the course began to make a gradual turn to the left. At this point, I started to feel a crosswind. I could sense the gusts catching my 50c wheels. It was almost rhythmic as my bike would push right and then release just to do it over again.

The flags at the businesses along the route were standing out from the poles. I was thankful that for the most part the course was downhill as I started onto the 3M section and into a more direct headwind. I tucked as small as I could as I tried to avoid the few rough sections along the road at this point.

As I neared the turn around, I was somewhat protected by some trees that kept the crosswind to a minimum. Making that turn, I got started back. This time what had been a headwind became the tailwind helping to push me up 3M.

Once I got over the tracks I eased up to make sure I was saving something for the actual effort. The way it appeared to me, if I went out hard in the beginning I could fight my way through the wind and then have the wind to my back on the long stretch. Then it would just be a matter of suffering up the final approach to the finish.

The lesson I learned this night was that things can change and you have to be prepared to adjust on the fly.

As I waited my start, the wind had died down. The trees were no longer waving in the wind. However, I figured at that point there would still be a residue of the earlier environment.

I went off to attack the first half of the course. I felt pretty good in the first fourth of the course. My one minute man was in sight as we neared the turn onto 3M hill. I caught him on the way down.

The effects of the effort began to break through my concentration as I began to make my way up to the turn around. The rider who had started two minutes in front of me passed me going in the other direction as I started the slight climb to the cone. The pain started to knock on the door of my mind and two negative thoughts hit me… 1) I had hoped to catch my two minute lead, but it didn’t appear that I would. 2) I had misjudged where the cone would be.

I knew the cone is set up near a tree and a turn onto a service road. When I rode out earlier, the cone was not out and I made my turn at what I thought was the mark. Well, the cone was placed at least 100 meters farther up the road.

“No big deal,” I told myself. “Just ride with the pain.” I was determined that regardless of how my legs felt, I was going to keep turning them. As I made the turn I realized I was going to have to manage that for five miles.

I looked at my clock and saw that if I wanted to get the time I was aiming for, I would have to come back nearly as fast as I went out. I settled in to do the work at hand. The pain had seemed to level off and I just tried to reestablish a rhythm. I also began praying that the tailwind would be there as I started up 3M.

It wasn’t. If anything, it appeared the wind had shifted. I kept spinning and looking down at times to see that though I felt I was putting out a consistent effort, I saw the wattage dropping. It wasn’t a huge collapsing drop. It was more like a slow bleed.

I even came out of the aero position in hopes that I could stand and restart my momentum. For a bit the wattage climbed back into my target level. Then once again it began to slip away.

“Forget the computer,” I told myself. “Just ride as hard as you can.” So I did. Everything around me closed down. At this point I wasn’t even focused on the time I might get. I just wanted to finish without giving in to the feelings in my legs.

I crossed the fine feeling like I had a very bad time. To be honest, it wasn’t that great. However, it was better than I thought it was. 23:22 was the finish. Not as bad as my first attempt, but not as good as my most recent.

The top thee finishers were all under 22 minutes. The top finisher was only 2 seconds away from a sub-twenty time. I was fifth – nearly a minute slower than the fourth place rider.

Time trials are a challenge. There is strategy, power, and technique involved. To get a good time, you have to hit the mark on all three. Tonight I think I blew it with my strategy, which led to a decline in power, that then messed up my technique.

It is definitely a trial of the body and the mind. It is also a trial I want to endure and then conquer.

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Disappointments from the 2011 Tour de France

Monday, July 25th, 2011

The 2011 Tour de France is complete. It had some incredible moments. It also ended the way I hoped it would, except for a few minor things.

No stage win for George Hincapie

One of the commentators mentioned that George was creating for himself a spot in cycling history as the greatest super-domestique ever. It is hard to argue with that seeing how he has helped shepherd nine yellow jerseys onto the Champs Elysees. Armstrong credits the man with being one of his primary lieutenants, and now in this Tour his influence on the BMC team as it supported Cadel Evans was clear.

However, the role Hincapie played in the team tactics never presented for him an opportunity to turn his wheels in a threatening break. For him, no break equaled no chance for a stage win. That would have been marvelous, but admittedly not that realistic. I would have loved to have seen it.

Still, seeing the young team coming together at the conclusion of Sunday’s stage, reveals that George has helped accomplish much more than win a stage or a yellow jersey. He has helped build a team. It is a team on which it appears he will ride with again along the roads of France in 2012 when he will take yet another record with 17 starts.

No sponsor for HTC (soon to be “?”)

Then there is another American team with whom I was hoping to see some action – but not on the roads. HTC Highroad entered the Tour with a big question mark. Would they even exist at the end of the year?

I just couldn’t believe that this incredible team would go much longer without a sponsor. I even told someone that I would bet that an announcement would be made after the second rest day. I was wrong. As each day passed and the peloton moved closer to Paris things looked less and less likely.

Finally, we are hearing that something is in the works. You do wonder if it is too late. Cavendish is said to basically be packing his bags for Sky. Other members of the team are rumored to be preparing to sign contracts elsewhere. Even if Stapleton does land a sponsor (and if the rumors are true, it sound like he will – and that it will be a good one), the team won’t be what it has been.

Of course, with Highroad, what’s new? The amazing thing about the team is its ability to find success with whatever riders it has on board. It is one of the reasons why I enjoy the team. It says a lot for the organization that they are so successful. When Stapleton writes his management guru book, I’ll be buying it!

The crack of the Shack

There was some great successes for American teams in the Tour. BMC takes yellow, HTC takes green, and Garmin put all of their riders (including a DZ cutout) on the podium by winning the team classification. It was Radio Shack that took the brunt of the bad luck. I could not help but feel sorry for them.

I saw a friend comment on Facebook, “Why don’t they just give Levi a saddle bag with a spare tire and let the rest of the team go home.” It was really beginning to look that way by the end of the 3,000 kilometers. The team had to feel punch drunk by the finish.

Certainly, Chris Horner continued to add to his legend. His crash and completion of the stage while not even knowing where he was speaks of his toughness. It also speaks to the danger of the sport — not merely the crashes, but the drive of riders (and team managers) to get back on the bike no matter what.

It is there I have to give kudos to Garmin Cervello. They have a system in place that allows them to evaluate a rider when he goes down. If he cannot pass the test, he does not ride. It would be wise for other teams to follow suit.

What a Tour de France! It is hard for me to find much with which to be disappointed. If there was one thing I would have liked to have seen, it would have been more contenders available to contest for the podium. So many of them were taken out in the early accidents. Yet, even the accidents created iconic stories. What cycling fan does not now know the name Johnny Hoogerland?

Finally, was this the cleanest Tour we’ve had in recent memory? So much of the nature of the racing and the lack of positives seems to point in that direction. We won’t know much more until the tests are scrutinized. I so hope so.

I do know that as messy as it is, the sport grabs hold of you in ways others can’t. We fans are not so much drawn to the rider who climbs to Alp d’Huez breathing through his nose. We cheer on the likes of Tommy Voeckler who collapses while trying to hold the yellow jersey for one more day.

Vive le Tour!

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What is the point?

Friday, July 22nd, 2011

So, how did the race go last night? Well, if you asked me right after we pulled off the course, I would have told you that it stunk. If you asked me later in the evening, I would have told you it was surprising. Welcome to my first experience points racing.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, I was going to go out last night and just try to participate in the action. If I blew up, I blew up. If something good happened, then all the better. I was just determined not to do something based on what I thought people wanted me to do. I just wanted to respond to the moment.

All that kind of got turned on its head when I learned that we were not going to do a normal criterium style race. Tonight we were going to be point racing. That is something I’ve never done before.

The course was laid out in basically a four corners configuration. The field would start off just like a normal criterium race. However, the first man to cross the line at the conclusion of the race would not necessarily be the man (or woman – we had three ladies join us) who would win the event.

Every three laps there would be a sprint for points. The top four finishers for each sprint would get a declining number of points. Then on the final sprint there would be double points. The person collecting the most points would win.

I had no illusions of collecting the most points. I really wasn’t even thinking of gaining points at all. My thought was that I would try to get up into some of the sprints and steal points from other riders while allowing my stronger teammates to collect more points. That way, they would get points and I would help take points away from their competition. I figured it would all come down to that final sprint for the double points and with Darin Marhanka in the field, things looked pretty promising for our team.

In the first lap I stayed in the field just watching to see what would happen. I stayed up at the start… so that part was a success! Then it was just time to settle in to get used to the corners.

On the second lap, I started to move up around the side of the field to get to the front. If I was going to do something, I figured I had better get it out of the way while I still had the stamina.

Going down the straight heading into turn three, a rider attacked and my teammate Mark went to cover the wheel. Almost immediately, a second rider separated from the field and since I had the momentum I just kept going to jump on his wheel. By the time we reached turn four and started for the sprint line, we were all four together.

As we crossed the line, we heard the call that points would be awarded during the next lap finish. I could sense a bit of jockeying start with the riders around me. As we came out of turn two onto the straight, we got caught by the point of the field.

At that point, I hesitated. Should I go and lead a teammate toward the line or should I slot in and then pip for some points at the line? As these thoughts popped into my brain, I heard (I think it was John James) yelling, “Go! Jonathan! Go!”

Well, I didn’t think any further. I just launched into a lead out as we entered turn three. I was holding the point through the sweeping turns of three and four and then it was time to make the move to the line. I was holding a fast tempo of over 600 watts.

Slowly, I started to see a rider move up in my right peripheral vision. For what seemed like eternity, we just rode side by side toward the line. Then I saw another wheel coming up on the other side of the one next to me. It was my teammate, Mark Caskey.

As we got closer to the line I picked up my attack. It was neck and neck. I couldn’t seem to get out of my seat to get more of a punch. We hit the line in a photo finish. Really, there was hardly a tire width between the three of us. Still, I could tell that I crossed the line third. I wasn’t sure, but I felt pretty confident that Mark got the maximum points on that one.

Then I felt like I got hit with a load of bricks and they all fell into my jersey pockets. I swung wide left and watched to see who would be coming by. I thought at that point there might be some heavy hitters coming up behind me and I could slot into the field to recover. There was no field into which to mingle.

I realize now that I should have sat up and gone back in the field to recover. What I didn’t realize at that time is that I heart had just peaked at 200 bpm. For one minute I pushed out an average of 750 watts – with a peak of 1200. My heart was ticking away at an average of 189 bpm for those 60 seconds.

Pushing on gave me no opportunity to recover. By the time we reached the line again I was pedaling with stones for legs. My lower back was hurting and the power wouldn’t come.

That was pretty much the race for me. I did my best to hop back onto the rear of the field when they came around me about midway through the event. I couldn’t tell what was going on. They just rode away from me. I settled back into a pace I thought I would handle. Finally, the field caught me again with about six laps to go.

This time I was able to jump on the back and stick. I stayed there until the end. The only thing that was consuming my mind was, “Why can’t I stay with the field?!”

It seems that I can ride with the best of them for five minutes. However, I can’t seem ride with them for 40 minutes. I’ve got to figure out what it is. I’m tired of getting dropped.

Is it something physiological? Is it psychological? Do other riders face the same pile of bricks and are able to ride through it? Am I just a wimp?

Of course, I recognize that it could also be intellectual. It could be that the reason other riders are able to “be there at the finish” is because they are better at knowing when and how much to give. Maybe what I need more than anything is more education.

So, imagine my surprise when I checked the standings later in the night to find I was listed 10th. “Well, they must not have realized I was dropped and scored me wrong.” Then it hit me… It was a points race. The point I picked up on that first sprint was enough to give me a top ten finish. Weird to finish a race placed higher than people who lapped me twice!

Hey, I’ll take it!

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Just ride your bike

Thursday, July 21st, 2011

Sometimes I can get a little melodramatic. I think it is something that comes with a good imagination. It can actually be helpful when it comes to writing, but isn’t always best for living in reality.

I imagine myself being an above average racer. It isn’t that I think I’ll be up there challenging for a bunch of wins. However, I do visualize myself being a mover in breaks and a consistent top-ten finisher.

More than that, it has been my desire to “fit in” — be accepted as a player in the peloton. It really isn’t that hard to look the part. Finding my way onto the POA Cycling Team certainly didn’t detract from the perception.

The reality has been something different. After a breakout year in 2010 when it looked like I could be a force to be reckoned with, everything changed. I found myself being a non-factor in most races. I was unable to do anything significant to help advance my team. There were times when I even made mistakes that hurt my team. As for personal success, that has been quite a ways in the past.

On top of that, in 2009 I had gotten a reputation for not being able to keep my wheels on the ground. Most of that was undeserved since I was typically a victim. However, my horrendous crash in 2010 seemed to cement it.

This year I was getting quite proud of myself. I had not crashed and have been able with bike handling to avoid a number of mishaps around me. While I haven’t had the finishes that I hoped for, I at least have avoided finishing on the ground! Maybe with a clean season, I could put the reputation behind me.

Then Saturday happened. Do you know how embarrassing it is to just fall over on your bike about three feet from the start line? That, my friend, is what you call a “rookie mistake.” It was a definite punch to my ego and my melodramatic tendencies kicked in.

I slunk back to my car that Saturday hoping that I wouldn’t see any of my team mates. I told myself that the next time I showed up for a race – whenever that might be – I would participate in my Low Cadence kit instead of the POA colors. It would be my way of doing penance for bringing disrepute on the team.

It was then it hit me that I definitely was not having fun racing anymore. The reason why was because I was racing for the expectations of my imagination rather than grabbing a hold of the moment and enjoying it. Bottom line is that I have been making my success or failure WAY too important for a weekend warrior.

I’ve determined that I am going out tonight with a different mindset.  I’m not going to go there pushing myself to live up to my imagined perception of myself. My goal is to go out there and let the race come to me. I’m not going to ride to avoid mistakes. I’m going to ride to participate.

If that approach lives up to expectations, then great. If it doesn’t, then – hey – I am who I am. Somehow, I have the funny feeling that if I ride that way, I’ll have greater success than I would otherwise.

Perceptions be hanged. Just ride your bike.

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POA had it covered

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

I’m still smarting from Saturday’s events. I learned a little more about the race from the standpoint of a rider who was actually there when I went down and made it to the finish. What I learned didn’t make me feel any better, but it did explain somethings.

French Broad Cycling Classic number

You never know what waits when you pin on your number.

I was talking with a teammate who was behind me when I went down. Actually, he was there along with a couple other of my teammates. They thought that I had touched a wheel and that is what caused me to drop.

They started around me, but there was a slight gap that they had to close. “You know they said that it was neutralized until the first climb?” My teammate asked. “Yes,” I replied, “that is what I was counting on.” “Right,” he countered, “Well, they were pegging it well before they got out of town.”

He surmised that when the field saw a POA rider go down, they jumped. They wouldn’t know for sure who it was that fell and since our team had the most riders, they hoped to neutralize that advantage. So, by the time my mates caught the field on the first climb, the riders ahead of them were strung out nearly single-file.

That would explain when as fast as I was pushing it, I was never able to connect. Things never really slowed. The teammate I was talking with said that there were some winding downhills where they were hitting speeds of 47 mph. His average speed for the race was 2 mph faster than the previous race.

So, it would appear that at least in the beginning of the race, I could have inadvertently had an influence without knowing. It is funny to think that I could influence a race more by wrecking than racing! What I am glad of is that the end result still went in the favor of the POA Cycling Team.

Thomas “The Tank” Smith took the win. There was no stopping the South Carolina Masters 35+ Road Race Champion. The rest of the team was spread out among the field… with me bringing up the rear. Looks like we had it all covered.

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More Tour Talk

Monday, July 18th, 2011

During the last rest day of the Tour de France, I made a few comments about the race up to that point and my thoughts going forward. Now that we have reached the second rest day, I thought I would follow up. There is just one problem… not much has changed since last Monday.

Johnny Hoogerland is now beginning to fade from the spotlight. However, he has made his mark on the Tour (as the Tour has on him!) Sure, there was a part of me that was hoping he could recover and hold his jersey. It was another sign of the camaraderie of the peloton that he held it that extra day.

It was good to see the wrecks begin to lose their quantity and magnitude. It took a while, but it seems that the field has gotten pass those first rough days. Other than some painful looking individual and smaller wrecks, last week finally put the focus on the racing… not the crashing.

What about the racing? That is where things are pretty much the same. Will the Alps finally bring what we hoped to see in the Pyrenees?

If the favorites keep racing the way they are, I have to put my money on Cadel Evans. However, his position is tenuous. If he can cut down a few more seconds from Voeckler’s lead while holding Contador at bay, his chances look very good.

The thing is, we aren’t seeing those huge killer attacks that we have become accustomed to with Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador. We keep expecting to see it… to the point where the favorites are castigated for not doing so. As it is, they are standing toe-to-toe punching each other.

What if it is a matter that there will be no such attack? What if none of them are trying to sandbag? Could it be that we are seeing a cleaner race?

I would like to think that what has happened is that we are now seeing more of what a race should be. There are a number of men who are at the top of their form and they are evenly matched. None of them have eaten tainted beef from Spain.

Sure, we are not seeing what we have become accustomed to, but maybe we are finally seeing what we should. Perhaps we will have this nip-and-tuck battle all the way to the final time trial. Who knows, perhaps Europcar will provide the first French winner in… how long?

Still, I do hope that we see one of the favorites (or two – Andy and Frank) really try to put the hurt on their competition. Surely, Contador can’t just keep following wheels. The winner is either going to be meteoric or consistent (Cadel). Consistency is winning at the moment. It is time for meteoric to step up to the table.

My gut tells me it isn’t going to be close. I hope it is. I can’t help but think that on some mountain top in the Alps, Paris will be decided.

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A Tale of Two Time Trials

Sunday, July 17th, 2011

Friday evening I participated in a 20K time trial. That effort was planned. Saturday morning I participated in a 42 mile time trial. That effort was unplanned.

This morning I woke up feeling like a Mack truck hit me. That was partially because of the two efforts, but more because of the event that led to my second time trial of the weekend.  But, I am getting ahead of myself.

After a very hot week, I made it up to Marshall, NC to find the weather perfect for the time trial. The temperature was in the upper 60s. The rain that had been threatening all day never came. The wind was blowing, but not too bad since the course was shielded to a degree by a ridge along the road.

I changed my approach somewhat from the last time trial I participated in. This time I kept an eye on my heart rate. I also paid greater attention to my average speed. Power wasn’t as much my focus.

Lining up to start, I was glad I decided to race. At 11 AM that morning, I wasn’t so sure I would. My motivation was so low. It wasn’t until then that I signed up — just shortly before the noon deadline.

Of course, that meant that I was going to start near the beginning. As a matter of fact, because of some late arrivals and no-shows, I ended up the second rider away!

The course was an out and back. It was slightly uphill/rolling on the way out. As you made certain turns around the base of the ridge to your left, you would get hit by a headwind.

On the way back, you had the opposite… rolling/downhill with some tailwind. Because of this, I figured if I could ride on my limit on the way out, then I could count on the advantages of the return to hold the speed.

Things were running according to plan on the way out until I neared the turnaround. I could see the rider who started before me up ahead. Behind her was a car rolling slowly. It was as though the car was supporting her.

My brain automatically calculated that I would catch them before the turn. For a moment I felt a bit of panic. This could really hurt my time. Rather than rolling up fast behind the car, I tried to time it so that I would reach the turn just as the car would move through.

The the car stopped! I wasn’t sure what to do and looked at the official. There was some confusion between the elderly woman driving the car and the marshal. She would stop… go… started to turn her wheel to the left. “Stop!” The official commanded and then motioned me around the right side of the car. Finally I was able to make my turn.

While the turn seemed to last forever, it probably was no more than 10 seconds. I got back up to speed and kept watching my average speed. I was well below what I hoped to average. At this point, I was around 25.2 mph. However, I knew that I would be able to pick that up on the way back… but by how much.

Shortly before I reached the finish I ticked past 26 mph. I was wishing and hoping that the next turn would reveal the finish. I dug down to bring out anything I had left. My heart rate was moving up into the 184 range – the upper end of my red zone.

I stopped my clock at 28:49. The official time had me stopped at 28:55. Oddly enough, it appeared that most all the riders had 5 more seconds on their times than they thought. I timed my teammate Mark Caskey during his effort and he finished 28:00 by my watch. He was given an official time of 28:05.

The next morning I woke up in the hotel room feeling comfortable. My muscles felt good, but the bed felt better! I knew that it was going to be a tough road race. Had I not already paid my registration fee, I might have just rolled over to sleep.

Looking back, I think that might have been a good idea. When I first started warming up, I didn’t feel that way. My legs felt loose and strong. Dare I start to dream that I would be able to at least pull in a top 20 finish?

We lined up and waited for the announcements to finish so we could start on our way. I was racing the Giant with the iBike on it. I also had my Garmin Edge 500 on the bar to read the wattage from the power meter.

As the flag dropped for us to start, I looked down and saw that the Garmin had timed out. Foolishly, I tried to turn the computer back on while getting my cleats attached to the pedals.

The power button was on the left side up against the iBike. I was trying to get my finger between the two units. As I was pushing down with my left foot, I had my right hand off the bars. Suddenly, the front wheel turned abruptly left. I then “tripped” over the front wheel and went down hard on my left hand and shoulder.

The field disappeared as I disentangled myself from the bike. I wasn’t even thinking about whether I was okay or not. I just wanted to get back on and catch the field.

I grabbed the stem to pick the bike up. When I did, I noticed the first damage. The iBike mount was broken and the until was hanging loosely. I ripped it off and stuck it in my jersey pocket.

Once again I focused on getting back on the bike. However, I noticed immediately that my rear wheel wasn’t turning. At first I thought I had bent the wheel or the brake calipers. Checking the brakes, I noticed they were fine, but the pads were both up tight against the wheel.

I quickly took a look at my left shifter. Sure enough, I could see and feel that the shifter was jammed. At that point, I thought my race was done. Pushing on the shifting paddle, I heard a “click” and suddenly everything cleared up. Checking the brakes and the gears, it appeared that I was back in business.

“They field is neutralized until they get out of town,” the officials told me. “You can probably catch back on.” I jumped on and took off after them. At that point, I really believed I could catch them.

I passed out of town and couldn’t see them. I knew there would be a turn unto a climb soon. Would they kill it up the climb or pace in preparation of the two later killer ascents? If I didn’t catch them here…. it was going to be a loooong day!

It struck me at this point that I was running about as hard now as I was in the previous day’s time trial. How long could I keep this up? Then I saw the back of a rider disappearing around a bend ahead. Wow, maybe I could catch them yet, get in the field, and recover.

Then I discovered he was being dropped. The road was still winding and I knew they could be just around the next turn. I would know more once I caught the dangling rider.

I got him on the next slight climb. The news I learned wasn’t good. Seems they were going hard that first climb and the rider I caught had been dropped early on. Still, there was some downhill and if I worked hard….

Soon I glimpsed another carrot up ahead. This was all happening within the first 30 minutes. I was still hoping.

That is until I reached a straight rolling section. Ahead I could see my carrot and then off in the distance — about a two to three minute gap. The truth hit me hard. I was not going to catch them. No way.

I caught my carrot (John Martin who would go on to finish a rider ahead of me) and we worked together for a bit. Unfortunately, about an hour in I couldn’t pull through to take my turn. I was passed by the Category 3 field as I climbed the first ascent.

Now it was just a matter of finishing. I did pass one more rider before the finish. As I was slogging up the final kilometer, I passed a rider who had dismounted and was walking barefoot up toward the finish while pushing his bike ahead of him.

I guess things could have been worse. Of course, the full affects of the adventure didn’t get me until this morning. I woke up with a bruised shoulder and left wrist, sore right fingers, and a saddle sore.

It seems this is the story of my racing career recently. It is all enough to get me questioning why I do this. I’m not doing much to help myself and I’m not doing much to help my team. I love racing, but I don’t seem to reach the full potential. Well, I guess I’ll just keep pedaling away and waiting for a change.

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Listen to your wife

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

Yesterday I was given a choice by my coach – a) race in the Tuesday Night World Championships, or b) do repeats on Paris Mountain. With the heat index heading upward to 110 degrees, I was kind of hoping for a third option! Thankfully, I listened to the Beautiful Redhead.

“Shouldn’t you go out to Donaldson tonight,” she asked. “It would be probably be good for you to ride in a group like that since you have a road race coming up.” It is true that I have been mentioning that while I have been able to see some progress in my fitness, I am struggling once I get into a race. Training and racing are two different things. The TNWC give you a perfect opportunity to train in race like conditions.

As I waited for the ride to start while leaning on my bike in the shade with two of my teammates, I took a look at the temperature reading on my computer. 106 degrees Fahrenheit. You could feel the heat on the road coming up like tentacles trying to grab at your legs to pull away their strength.

Thankfully, the field started out with a pace to conducive to the conditions. As we progressed I stayed back toward the rear of the field. I figured I would see what would happen for the first couple of laps and give it an effort here or there and then pull out after three completions of the 7 mile circuit.

That first lap was uneventful. On the second lap I slowly began to work my way up toward the front. I knew that the field wouldn’t keep this pace the whole night. Soon, someone was going to make a move. Even though I wasn’t planning on doing all five laps, I did want to participate in the process.

Until that time I concentrated on watching the indications of the wind as we progressed. With that knowledge, I looked to position myself so that other riders were taking the wind. So, on the second lap when I saw a dangerous group of riders begin to test the field as we crossed rail road tracks, I was trapped against the white line. This kept me out of the wind, but also made it a challenge to make a move.

Well, that is why I was out there. I began to work my way toward the yellow line. This was accomplished by looking for small gaps and slowly moving my bike into them. While avoiding any sudden moves, I was “prying” my way through the pack to make my way over to where I could see Eric Christophersen begin to make a move along the left side of the field.

I was there shortly before we reached the “smooth pavement” section of the course. I settled in behind Eric’s wheel and worked across the gap. He was following the wheel of another rider in front of him. As we neared the riders ahead, Eric slowed. It threw me for a moment, but I accelerated around him and caught the tail. At that point there was a good sized pace line going.

From that point on through the third lap I was in the front dozen or so.  A couple of times I closed some gaps and by the time we were heading toward 3M hill, I was hitting my red line. This means I was registering over 183 bpm on my heart monitor. If I kept this up I would be hating life in a few minutes. I had to slip back a bit to recover.

The good news is that by the time we reached the top of 3M hill and turning onto the rail road track portion of the course, I was recovered. That is exciting. Success is not so much measured by how long you can ride on the limit. It is more important to be able to recovery quickly from an effort. Of course, ideally you can ride for long periods on the limit and still recover quickly.

At this point, I wasn’t really focusing on my placement. I was mentally starting to wind down for my predetermined finish. Up ahead I saw my teammate, Thomas, begin to accelerate. He had mentioned before that he was only going to do three laps as well. If that was the case, I felt kind of sorry for the two other riders who hooked up with him. It would be a surprise if when they passed the start/finish line that they suddenly lost that power house. Of course, Thomas might not could have helped himself and pushed on to the finish.

I continued along with the group directly surrounding me until we started into the dip. It was then that my mind shifted to the position I was in. I glanced behind expecting to see the field bearing down on me. There was no one.

Hmmm, it crossed my mind to try to close up the gap and catch back on for the remainder. No. I had pushed myself the last couple of training rides – including an all out effort on Paris Mountain the day before. I was going to stick with my plan. So, I pulled off the road and headed home.

I’m glad I did the TNWC. I was feeling more comfortable in the pack. I also was feeling much better with my fitness – surprisingly so. Now, I just have to turn my focus to this weekend. I wonder what advice my wife will have for me then.

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Talking the Tour

Monday, July 11th, 2011

The Tour de France has not been much of a topic here on Low Cadence. I’m not a professional cycling expert. I am a fan and on this first rest day of the Tour, I think we fans need the rest as much as the riders!

When I say I am a fan, that does not mean I am a fanatic. My relationship with pro cycling is a complicated one. I don’t have much trust for it. However, I can’t help to be drawn into the spectacle of it all. The Tour de France is like a novel with intertwining plots and sudden surprises waiting behind the next turn of the page. Sure, the book may be a fantasy, but the storyline is captivating. You get drawn into the experience regardless of whether the characters are real or not.

Yet, they are real. This Tour more than any other in my short cycling experience has shown the frailty of the human element in this sport. With 18 riders having abandoned in this first week – most due to injuries from crashes – I’m emotionally beat up. I’m happy to close the book for a moment and leave the plot behind.

The emotions come from my own experience. There was a time when I would see a wreck on TV and I would feel bad for the rider. However, I was a spectator with really no emotional connection to the event.

Now days, with each accident it is more like a scene from Harry Potter where the dementors suck the happiness from the soul with each pass of their dark forms. I”m not putting myself on the same level as Johnny Hoogerland, but as the tears came when he stood on the podium to receive the polka dot jersey, I could feel his emotions. I’ve cried those tears before.

They are tears of pain mixed with relief. They are the result of survival followed by questions of the future. It is the expression of a body and spirit that has overcome — but with a price.

Meanwhile, we find Tommy Voeckler climbing atop the podium. A grown man looking like a school boy. His excitement over taking the yellow jersey was obvious.

It is going to be an interesting rest of the Tour. Here are my thoughts going forward…

BMC

Okay, I admit I have a soft spot for this outfit. It has a couple of Greenville connections and is a ProTour team with an American history. With Cadel Evans they definitely represent the underdog persona.

Let’s face it, they are one of the only teams with a GC favorite that has their whole team available. In this Tour that is saying something! However, in the back of my mind I can’t just help wondering if that is enough.

I envision a day in the high mountains when Cadel will be isolated with no teammates to help him battle the various attacks that are sure to come. I do hope I am wrong. Obviously, the team has met every challenge so far. Besides, Cadel always has the individual time trial to help level out the mountains a bit.

Contador

Seems to me that if Alberto Contador is to win this Tour, he is going to have to do it by himself. His Saxo-Bank team seems disjointed and is not a full strength. They seem to have no chemistry on the road.

Perhaps he is riding into form, but the Spaniard also doesn’t seem to have the punch you see in other races. Could it be the multiple crashes he has had? Could it be the distraction of the drug allegations?

Bottom line is that I could be wrong, but I don’t see him taking back the time he has lost. No doubt he will try and may even cut into the deficit, but it is a mighty challenge awaiting him… pretty much alone.

Who am I watching out for?

Leopard Trek has quietly been carrying on business. When I see Cadel Evans isolated on the climbs, it is the black and white kits of the Schleck’s team that I see pressuring him. Perhaps they have not lived up to their super-team status so far this season, but barring some unforeseen event (and this year that can’t be ruled out) I see a very good finish for Andy or Frank.

I always enjoy watching the sprinting machine that is HTC. However, I keep seeing Tony Martin popping up here and there. Not a bad individual time trial rider there. With his teammate, Veilts, there challenging for climbing stage wins, I will be interested to see how they counter punch the Schleck duo.

But really, what do I know? Could be that Contador has just been playing around with us and is waiting to “dance on his pedals” to the top of the podium. Then again, it could very well be as some others have said, “It will all come down to the rider who hasn’t wrecked himself out of the Tour.” I hope not. I hope this rest day staunches the bleeding — figuratively and literally!

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Happy to be unhappy

Friday, July 8th, 2011

Yesterday was full of unexpected changes. I was trying my best to be negative, but good things continued to surprise me. I finally had to give in and just enjoy it.

Early in the afternoon I walked across campus to get a cup of coffee and to stretch my legs. On the way back to the office I looked out toward Paris Mountain to see clouds begin to build behind it. “Don’t know if I’ll be riding the time trial tonight,” I thought to myself. “I really don’t want to be out there in the rain.”

The main reason I wanted to participate was to go out and get a personal best. If I didn’t have a chance to do that, then I just didn’t feel up to getting out there and suffering or putting myself into danger. Rain – with thunder, lightening, and wind – would create that scenario.

Back at the office I checked the weather map and things didn’t look so good there either. However, around 430 the clouds were breaking up and I could see blue sky. Surprisingly, it appeared that storm was going to stay away for a bit. It was time to go.

I grabbed me a peanut butter and honey sandwich, grabbed a bottle of gel along with some water, and headed out the door. My Felt was on top of the car with it’s time trial setup. My alien helmet was in the hatch. Let’s roll!

The versatile Felt AR

Once I got on the course to warm up, the negative thoughts started creeping back into my mind. The reason was due to the wind. The course was much more windy than it was during the last TT at Donaldson. Basically, that meant even if I rode harder this time, there would be a good chance that I would come in slower.

My plan was simple. I would set up my computer to give me an average power reading. I would then ride to maintain an average that would exceed my last power average and be consistent with what I knew I could do for a 20 minute effort.

I timed my warm up perfectly. Just as I arrived back to the line my name was called. I was feeling cautiously optimistic as I got my gearing sorted and waited to go.

The rider ahead of me was Jake Strasser. When I first saw him there, I was disappointed. Jake is a pretty strong rider and I know that he has a good power output. It crossed my mind that I wouldn’t have the pleasure of a rabbit to chase.

As soon as the countdown ended the surprises kept coming. I came out strong and my average was easily holding over 400 watts. More than that, it appeared that the wind – rather than growing stronger as the evening progressed – was calming. My mental condition tilting upward.

My plan was to finish the course with an average power over 300 watts. I told myself that it didn’t really matter what time I got. The important thing was for me to give my best so that when I came across the line I was spent. If I averaged that wattage for the 20+ minutes, that should be the case.

As I passed the halfway point on the leg out, I could see that the average was still over 325 watts. As I glanced below the average watts line occasionally to see what I was doing I started feeling better and better. Most times I was showing over 300 watts though sometimes touching a low point of 290 – 280.

Then I came into sight of the turning point. Ahead I could see Jake. That was a surprise. I figured I would see him near this point, but he would be going back the other way. Ah, there was my rabbit!

I made the turn at 10 minutes 30 seconds. The slight climb up to the turning point had put a few nagging negative thoughts in my mind, but I put them aside and concentrated on the back of Jake’s jersey. “Find your happy place and just turn in circles,” I told myself.

The average watts read 316 as I made the turn and pointed the Felt home. I caught Jake at last just before making the right hand turn that would take me to the next challenge — the climb up 3M hill. I could see the flag off to my right waving gently, but out from the pole. Here I was getting a crosswind. That meant it would be tough going on the section after crossing the railroad tracks.

About that time I caught another rider. This contestant was riding Merckx style. As I went by, he cheered me on. That made me smile and I settled in to level out 3M.

After making the turn that would lead me to the railroad tracks, I could see that I was still holding watts over a 310 average. “Almost there,” I told myself. What I tried not to tell myself was that this final bit was going to be tough.

As I crossed the tracks I just aimed for the section of the course where the tarmac would smooth out. While that would also mean the beginning of the wind, it would be a welcome relief from the rough asphalt around the tracks. It would be nice to get away from that resistance reaching up and trying to grab my wheels.

Ahead I could see another group. It was one of the teams (three riders in this case) who were participating in the team time trial. It was a co-ed team. As I approached them, I could hear the sound of a vehicle coming up behind me. I did slow slightly as I overtook them at the same time the driver overtook me.

Then it was clear road ahead. I was really feeling it at this point and the average had dropped to around 308 watts. The wattage dropped further as I made the slight descent into “the dip” before the long climb up toward the finish.

As I descended, I found it hard to get my wattage up. My legs weren’t able to turn the gear fast enough to exceed my momentum enough. I used the moment for a chance to catch my breathe before giving it all I had for the climb up to the finish.

I started the climb up having reached a low point of 303 watts. I tried to find a rhythm to my breathing and tried to ramp my power up as best I could. I moved into the 400 watts range and started to find it harder to hold. I kept turning, but watched the real time wattage continue to drop. Still, I was staying over 300 watts.

It wasn’t until that point that I realized that I was going to meet my goal. I finished that final section averaging 350 watts and crossed the line averaging 311 for the effort. My watch showed a time of 22 minutes 39 seconds. Officially, I was given the time of 22 minutes 40 seconds.

That was nearly a half minute faster than my previous best time. However, it was only 5th best for the night. Pat McCallion finished first with a time of 21:22. Of course, he is a South Carolina time trial champion. Unsurprisingly, Eric Christophersen (also a former SC TT champion and runner up to Pat this year) was second coming in at 21:32. Third was my teammate, Mark Caskey, with a time of 22:22. Edging me out of fourth place with a time of 22:37 was Brian Kadien.

I summed it up on Twitter following the race, “Got a PB at TT tonight, but placed 5th. Not happy about it. That makes me feel good.” It was nice to feel disappointed because it means that some of the fire that has been missing from my belly has returned.

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