Surprised myself a little....

[Bailsibub]

For me, this has been an abbreviated season. I had planned on racing in the Tour de Korea here this past June. I started preparations in January, and had some decent 20 min. power going over the winter.

But in April, I came down with a respiratory infection. I went from doctor to doctor here, and it took two months to find someone who could determine what was wrong with me. (told all of the doctors I was producing brown/green stuff...wouldn't that point to something needing something stronger than Tylenol?)

Anyway, I had tried to train a little during those months, and, of course, my power just never came around. So I never did the race (12 stages...epic race all over the country....) Then in late June, after a course of antibiotics, I was able to get back to training in earnest. If I had only found the right doc in April!

Anyway, late June had a few SST rides. July was 2x20s turning into 3x20s by the end of the month. August was 3x20s and 5x5s. I train every other day, so I alternated those workouts.

This past Saturday, I had my first race of the year. I had done it last year. Big mountain...Korea tried to bid for a Winter Olympics there. It's a 10-mile race. The first three are flat with the last 7 going up 830 meters.

I had done the race with an ex-pro buddy who dominated the racing scene over here before he left. My time last year was 51:24, and his was 47:25. After a good winter of training, a lousy spring, but a decent summer, I really wasn't expecting much. I honestly was hoping to beat my time from last year.

The race started, a teammate pulled on the flat section, and then I hit the climb. I just held a steady aerobic pace(like during my 20s). And to my surprise, I was climbing at the front, with like 20 guys behind me. I just held that pace, and whenever we hit a switchback, I could see a few less riders back there.

I rode strong. And did this despite a Snickers "issue" that made me cramp for the last 15 or so minutes. (I ate a Snickers 30 min. before the race...OK, OK, bad move...WTF was I thinking?! I haven't raced in a while (my excuse )). I just kept passing people (mass start event...timed with chips on the bikes).

Towards the end, I glanced at my computer, and I saw I had been racing for 44 minutes. I thought, "OK, well I probably have another 6 or 7 minutes to go." Then I went a little farther and realized, "Hey, I'm pretty close to the finish." I rode a little more and realized, "Hey, I'd better pick it up. The finish is right up there!" As I started to go faster, the finish line came and went. I finished in 46:20! I cut 5 minutes off of last year's time.

And I got 2nd! (30-40 age group...no cats here) And this is the largest race in the country here. But wouldn't you know, the first-place guy finished 13 seconds ahead of me! Of course, I have a lot of "what ifs" floating around in my head, e.g. what if I had remembered it was only 10 miles instead of the 11.5 like they told me.... But anyway, I know I could have cut a lot of time off just by riding faster at the end, which I wasn't doing at all (I was just pacing).

So I'm riding pretty high right now. I couldn't believe how it all worked out. There's one more race for my season in 3 weeks. I can't wait 'til then.

 

[Carrera]

Sometimes you need to allow the body to recover and get back into form, which is what seems to have happened in your case. Sounds like you dominated on the climbs in this case so maybe hilly races are what suits you. Hope it continues to go well in future races.

For me, this has been an abbreviated season. I had planned on racing in the Tour de Korea here this past June. I started preparations in January, and had some decent 20 min. power going over the winter.

But in April, I came down with a respiratory infection. I went from doctor to doctor here, and it took two months to find someone who could determine what was wrong with me. (told all of the doctors I was producing brown/green stuff...wouldn't that point to something needing something stronger than Tylenol?)

Anyway, I had tried to train a little during those months, and, of course, my power just never came around. So I never did the race (12 stages...epic race all over the country....) Then in late June, after a course of antibiotics, I was able to get back to training in earnest. If I had only found the right doc in April!

Anyway, late June had a few SST rides. July was 2x20s turning into 3x20s by the end of the month. August was 3x20s and 5x5s. I train every other day, so I alternated those workouts.

This past Saturday, I had my first race of the year. I had done it last year. Big mountain...Korea tried to bid for a Winter Olympics there. It's a 10-mile race. The first three are flat with the last 7 going up 830 meters.

I had done the race with an ex-pro buddy who dominated the racing scene over here before he left. My time last year was 51:24, and his was 47:25. After a good winter of training, a lousy spring, but a decent summer, I really wasn't expecting much. I honestly was hoping to beat my time from last year.

The race started, a teammate pulled on the flat section, and then I hit the climb. I just held a steady aerobic pace(like during my 20s). And to my surprise, I was climbing at the front, with like 20 guys behind me. I just held that pace, and whenever we hit a switchback, I could see a few less riders back there.

I rode strong. And did this despite a Snickers "issue" that made me cramp for the last 15 or so minutes. (I ate a Snickers 30 min. before the race...OK, OK, bad move...WTF was I thinking?! I haven't raced in a while (my excuse )). I just kept passing people (mass start event...timed with chips on the bikes).

Towards the end, I glanced at my computer, and I saw I had been racing for 44 minutes. I thought, "OK, well I probably have another 6 or 7 minutes to go." Then I went a little farther and realized, "Hey, I'm pretty close to the finish." I rode a little more and realized, "Hey, I'd better pick it up. The finish is right up there!" As I started to go faster, the finish line came and went. I finished in 46:20! I cut 5 minutes off of last year's time.

And I got 2nd! (30-40 age group...no cats here) And this is the largest race in the country here. But wouldn't you know, the first-place guy finished 13 seconds ahead of me! Of course, I have a lot of "what ifs" floating around in my head, e.g. what if I had remembered it was only 10 miles instead of the 11.5 like they told me.... But anyway, I know I could have cut a lot of time off just by riding faster at the end, which I wasn't doing at all (I was just pacing).

So I'm riding pretty high right now. I couldn't believe how it all worked out. There's one more race for my season in 3 weeks. I can't wait 'til then.

 

[Piotr]

That's a great story. Congratulations! I likewise was forced off the bike in the spring, but now while everybody's burned out I'm setting PB's. It's scary not to train for an extended period of time, but in the end the body thanks you for it.

 

[strader]

I had four weeks off the bike in July, and spent August doing classic periodized base training (L2/L3). I just started mixing in L4+ intensity this week. On monday on my 20 minute hillclimb TT I was able to average 304 watts on the second interval which is as high as I have ever been able to do.
There is a local mountain bike pro here who is ranked top 10 in the country. In interviews he claims to take 3 months off the bike cold turkey every year. Hard to beleive given his season starts with mountain bike races in March/April, and ends with Cyclocross in December.

 

[dhk2]

Believe many of us can benefit from some time each year off the bike. A couple "old school" training books I've got talk about two or three months of time off the bike in late fall-early winter. Lots of rest seems to be prescribed after a hard season, followed by aerobic crosstraining (CC skiing, skating, running) and some time in the gym before starting back on the bike in early spring.

At this point in the season, count me in the "burnout" column as well. The legs feel fine and still enjoying some decent rides, but there are more days now when the energy just isn't there, can't find enthusiasm for the big club rides with the "fast" guys, and recovery is getting tougher.

 

[Bailsibub]

Thanks for the comments guys. It took a few days to totally recover from the race. But then I got back to some good training. Just in those two weeks, my power went up even a little bit more (on both my L4 and L5 intervals). I can't reliably talk watts on here because I just use a speedometer on my back wheel on the Fluid2 (with a power/speed chart to estimate watts).

But because of my results at last month's race, a good thing happened. I'll be on a sponsored team at next year's Tour of Korea! ...good because I'll be on a team, but bad well, because starting November, it's time to start throwing down with the new team to get ready.

Anyway, my last race of the season is this weekend. I'm tapering right now to get ready. The course ascends about the same amount as the last one, but it's more gradual. I have some teammates to support me, so that's really good. I'll post later on how it goes.

 

[jhuskey]

You may want to buy a case of Snickers.

 

[Bailsibub]

You may want to buy a case of Snickers.

Ha ha, I'll do that. I'll also ask them to throw in a couple of cans of whoop ass with the purchase. Hopefully, I'll be able to open them up during the race.

 

[Sillyoldtwit]

Great ride there BB. What sort of power were you generating? I've done a little searching but can't find your FTP listed anywhere. Tyson

 

[Bailsibub]

Great ride there BB. What sort of power were you generating? I've done a little searching but can't find your FTP listed anywhere. Tyson

Tyson, I have been doing my 'power' workouts on the Cycleops Fluid2. I use a speedo on the rear wheel and use a power/speed chart someone gave me. I'm not really sure of its accuracy, so I can't reliably post numbers on here.

BUT!!! My team is working on a deal to get us powertaps pretty soon. If everything works out, we'll be getting them soon and I can share my numbers on here. Good stuff!

 

[Bailsibub]

OK, the race is over.... The season is over....

The course was a total surprise. I went there with the team on Saturday night. We drove what we thought was the course, a 22 km bunch of good roads that went up 500 meters, 300 of which were in the last 3.7k.

Didn't sleep the night before. With team...hot room...people snoring...no earplugs...couldn't sleep...went to patio...tried to sleep outside on patio...drunk people partying at hotel...noise...couldn't sleep...Sun rose as I lay on patio...wanted to bag everything. Mother $#@$!!!!!!

Geez, I felt terrible and unmotivated by the time we rolled out of the hotel at 7 a.m. for our 8:30 start.

Anyway, the race turned out to start with about 10 km behind a gingerly-moving lead car to neutralize us (they couldn't get that part of the course completely closed to traffic). Then the car peeled off and we went off what we had thought was the course onto pretty much Paris-Roubaix conditions...dirt roads, stone paths, a crit-like mini circuit, through a couple small streams, and (I swear) someone's driveway (complete with a barking, chained up dog). All hell broke lose. We were flying through all of it.

Of course I got gapped, but once the course spit us out onto the normal road again, I bridged back up to the main group of about 20 riders. We rode a few k's at a good clip and then hit the gnarly climb. I had thought our speed up it would have been slower, but I was seeing speeds of 11-12 mph. I dropped everyone but two riders about 5 minutes into it.

Then, I don't know what happened, but I started getting worked over. I looked up the climb, and I think that was a big mistake (there are a a few peaks around where the finish was...and I was mistaking those for the finish...thinking (Houston, we have a problem. And we will be aborting the bicycle before we get to the top of those things!)). A teammate who had been a couple seconds behind me bridged to me soon after that. Luckily, he went ahead/beside me, and that gave me a little help with keeping my pace up (and a little motivation to snap out of the short fright).

And before I knew it, we were side by side, and he told me that the finish was above a steep but short rise about 300 meters ahead. Right then, a Korean rider passed me, so I gunned it and dropped him, finishing 6 seconds ahead of him by the line. Here's a picture of me sprinting past him:

After sprinting like it was no biggie, I realized how much gas I had left in the tank. My mind really worked against me in the race. I held myself back, and now regret it. Fear sucks. And even though I was at my peak power of the season, I didn't ride like it.

Nevertheless, when I got the results, I found that I had finished second in my category. Guess who got first? The Korean rider I outsprinted at the finish! How? They put chips on our bikes and timed the race like a marathon. He had crossed the starting line 10 seconds behind me. Weird, but that's how they do it here.... A Korean teammate jabbed me in the shoulder for not "starting slower". I'll have to remember that technique next time.

But I can't complain too much now. I won some cash. Got some podium glory. And slept 13 hours last night!

Didn't eat Snickers this time. Must remember earpplugs next time!

 

[bigwillie013]

Here's a picture of me sprinting past him:

Where's the picture??? I need to see that picture of you flying by the Korean (and eventually still being beaten by him - which happened to me too as in the "Anyone" Races here in Germany they also do the "Net" timing thing)
Great race report btw.

Cheers,
bigwillie013

 

[Sillyoldtwit]

Tyson, I have been doing my 'power' workouts on the Cycleops Fluid2. I use a speedo on the rear wheel and use a power/speed chart someone gave me. I'm not really sure of its accuracy, so I can't reliably post numbers on here.

BUT!!! My team is working on a deal to get us powertaps pretty soon. If everything works out, we'll be getting them soon and I can share my numbers on here. Good stuff!

When you find out what your FTP is and if it's lower than mine, you're welcome to bring your bike over to Japan and we can have a ride together. What do you weigh btw? Also I assume you're a lot younger than me. Tyson

 

[Alex Simmons]

When you find out what your FTP is and if it's lower than mine,

pick 'n' choose, eh?

I must remember that technique when I next race.

 

[Sillyoldtwit]

pick 'n' choose, eh?

I must remember that technique when I next race.

Lol. I'm just a bit concerned that if he goes ahead of me, he might get lost like someone else in these forums who often gets lost in Japan and whose name I can't recall at the moment.

 

[Bailsibub]

Tyson, I'm 65 kg/180 cm. And I'm 36, so I still have a few racing years left before they put me out to pasture.

I got a call from the team manager last night that the Powertaps will get here in about two weeks. I'm excited to get some numbers and start training for the Tour de Korea next season. I definitely want to get Trainingpeaks, too. I think the combo will help me prepare for the stage race. (But I've never done a 10-12 day stage race and am a little overwhelmed by the challenge of preparing for it).

Anyway, I'll post my numbers ASAP. And I'll definitely accept the offer to come over there and get dropped by you! But with all those pretty girls over there, I can just say I got distracted.

 

[Sillyoldtwit]

Tyson, I'm 65 kg/180 cm. And I'm 36, so I still have a few racing years left before they put me out to pasture.

65 Kilograms !?!?!?!?!?!?!? You must be joking, there's no way I'm going to ride against someone who looks like the guy below on my mountainous courses.
I hereby retract my offer until next spring. Tyson

 

[Bailsibub]

Hey Tyson, cut me a little slack, I have some skin, albeit thin, covering those bones!

I'm on the couch and won't be moving any time soon. Just got back in from my first ride with my team for the upcoming year. We have a lot of fast Korean riders, pretty much the top riders from several teams over here. We did 100 miles in mountainous terrain. Averaged 20.5. I was good for three hours, taking long pulls and riding tempo. Then I messed up and didn't eat... got dropped on a big climb along with a Korean ex-pro. We killed ourselves to bridge after we got over the mountain. The descent was over 10 miles, so it was too gradual to just tuck and pull them back. It took us 20 minutes of burying ourselves to pull back the 4 guys ahead.

Then we stopped at 7-Eleven. Ex-pro guy kept saying he was out of energy and moaned a bit. So what does he do? Smokes a cigarette and then buys 4 string-cheese sticks and downs them.