Well, this was my first big challenge of the road season, racing elite men in one of WA's only 2 Cat 1 national races, the Tour de Perth. It consists of a 4.5 uphill TT on saturday morning, 120km road stage around Pickering Brook in the arvo (the killer; all hills. Anyone who has riden it will know it well. It was used for the Uni games road course last year). On sunday morning there is an 80km stage around Maida Vale (big flatter, through the foothills of Perth) and then we finish up with an hour crit around Kalamunda (townsite in the hills).
I have been racing A grade in Perth for the past 2 months, gaining experience and basically letting my body get used to the intensities required. This though, i knew would be a step up from that and my objective was very simple; just finish, with dignity hopefully
.
There was a good turnout from the east for the race (Tony Mann and David McKenzie plus a few other names i wasn't familiar with though could definitely race) and the Malaysian National Team also popped south for a crack as well.
I was looking forward to the time trial as this suits my riding style; high, sustained power. it was all uphill and even though it was only 4.5kms it can produce a world of hurt. Started strong and within a minute my lungs are burning, so i put my head down, stare at that place a metre up the road where the pain fades slightly and keep peddling strong, telling myself "to spin, not grind", "it wont hurt in 5 more minutes" and "this pain is only your interpretation of whats happenning" and all those great old chestnuts . I look up about halfway and i have a rabbit up ahead, which means ive got something else to focus on apart from the pain. I catch him with about 1km to go and just put my head down and keep telling myself to stop thinking, just do, do, do. I come through at 8 minutes 20 seconds and im absolutely caned. Get off the bike and cough up those bits of my lungs i forgot i had and have a rest and watch the rest come through. I rode 8:46 last year so i was happy with the improvement and i managed to have to one of the fastest times for the first 30 riders. Then the guns started coming through and the times rapidly dropped below 8 minutes. The winner came through in 7:29!! very impressive...
I was worried that i went too hard in the TT and really tried to relax for the afternoon's stage but to be honest, i was scared of this stage. 120kms through the hills with elite australian riders and a previous winner of a stage in the Giro?! It hurt just thinking about it. Anyhow, my mantra was "hold on, just whatever you do, hold on". The first lap it wasnt too bad. I was playing it smart, keeping in the pack and getting myself up to the front of the group just as we hit climbs so i could drop back a bit through the group and still be there at the end of the climb. This worked for lap 2 as well and i was feeling pretty good to be honest. Then on lap 3 the pace upped a bit. It wasnt much, but going 2-3 kms a hour faster up a climb i was already sitting at just below threshold on was beginning to take its toll, as my legs were already sore from the mornings TT. What really broke my spirit though was on lap 4 i was dying on the Patterson Rd climb, we are going up at 29-30kph and McKenzie and Mann are next to me, sitting up on the bike and having a chat about what they have been doing and "how are the kids going?" etc. I just thought "woah, these guys arent even hurting!!!". Coming up to the finish line on lap 4 someone attacked on the hill and that was it pop!, and my reverse lights went on. Its terrible when you get dropped on a climb because you are dying and they are only going a k or so faster but you cant get on for the life of you and you keep saying "in a sec, just a sec" but not today. Anyhow i wasnt an orphan on this climb and about 5 of us got dropped and got together. After another 1/2 a lap it was only 3 of us. Myself and two blokes from the Malaysian team. I sat on the front for a lap, which was fine, i was riding my own pace and was hurting enough, though after 30k's of this i look around and gesticulate "when the hell do you guys intend to do a turn?". Blank looks. Ok, they must be hurting more than me. This happens for another lap and we are just on the start of the final lap and i cramp up badly. I have to unclip and keep my leg streched out horizontally from the bike. God knows what someone driving past would have thought....I cant feel my feet, i cant feel any part of me privates and my back is killing me, but still, no little Malaysian prepared to come through for a turn!!!!! I ended up doing 60 hills k's with them sitting on my wheel . Even if they were hurting, obviously i was to. Maybe they dont teach them to do turns in Malaysia .
Anyhow, i finished 27 minutes down over 120kms. I didnt care, i had finished!!.
Sundays stage was a bit easier on paper, though i knew the fatigue of the day before would play a part and it did. I could hang and roll through the group, but when i hit the hill on each lap my legs were not interested. They had done their high intensity for the weekend and that was that. Luckily a breakaway formed after a lap and the group settled down a bit. We rolled through and i hung on at the hill on each lap. On the final lap we caught the breakaway at the foot of the zig-zig. The zig-zag is the road that goes up to Kalamunda and is 7-8k's or so of solid climbing. I hung on for about a k and that was that, i just couldnt will my legs to roll over anymore and my body was exhausted, finito, had it. I did my own pace to the top and only lost 5 minutes. Happy with that.
I always had this idea that if i got through the previous two road stages the crit would be a cakewalk. A display of celebration if you may. It was now, after 200+ racing k's in my legs over the previous 26 hours, that my opinion on this was rapidly changing. I was beginnning to realise that a lot of people who had not performed in the road stage swould be seeking redemption in the crit and that the pace was unlikely to drop below 45kph for most of the upcoming hour. It was also a hotdog circuit. I hate hotdog circuits. They suit little whippets, not 195cm logs like me.
I wasnt kidding myself now either. I knew i was rooted and i had about 10 minutes of high intensity left in the tank and that was it, my body was shutting down. I hoped, prayed!, that the crit would start off slow and build up. That would give myself time to recuperate and maybe my legs could be coaxed into it. I knew how crits in perth worked though; 15-20 minutes of attack after attack at 50+kph, 30 minutes of an easy pace, 10 minutes of 50+ again. I started ok, midpack, but could feel the hotdog corners taking its toll on me. The continuous acceleration out of the corners were hurting and after 15 minutes i blew and couldnt bridge the gap. i rolled around for a couple of laps and then pulled out.
My goal was to finish the whole tour, and even though i didnt it doesnt seem to be bothering me. I challenged my body and even though it wasnt very happy about the whole thing i feel stronger about it and gainedthat old diamond, experience.
Next week is the Menzies-Kalgoorlie. The richest one dayer in Australia. Hopefully i can pick some form up from this past weekend and pay for those new wheels.
Thanks heap to Jamie (till!) and Michael who came up and took happy snaps and supported (laughed at my distress ) me on the saturday arvo stage.
I have been racing A grade in Perth for the past 2 months, gaining experience and basically letting my body get used to the intensities required. This though, i knew would be a step up from that and my objective was very simple; just finish, with dignity hopefully
.There was a good turnout from the east for the race (Tony Mann and David McKenzie plus a few other names i wasn't familiar with though could definitely race) and the Malaysian National Team also popped south for a crack as well.
I was looking forward to the time trial as this suits my riding style; high, sustained power. it was all uphill and even though it was only 4.5kms it can produce a world of hurt. Started strong and within a minute my lungs are burning, so i put my head down, stare at that place a metre up the road where the pain fades slightly and keep peddling strong, telling myself "to spin, not grind", "it wont hurt in 5 more minutes" and "this pain is only your interpretation of whats happenning" and all those great old chestnuts
. I look up about halfway and i have a rabbit up ahead, which means ive got something else to focus on apart from the pain. I catch him with about 1km to go and just put my head down and keep telling myself to stop thinking, just do, do, do. I come through at 8 minutes 20 seconds and im absolutely caned. Get off the bike and cough up those bits of my lungs i forgot i had and have a rest and watch the rest come through. I rode 8:46 last year so i was happy with the improvement and i managed to have to one of the fastest times for the first 30 riders. Then the guns started coming through and the times rapidly dropped below 8 minutes. The winner came through in 7:29!! very impressive...I was worried that i went too hard in the TT and really tried to relax for the afternoon's stage but to be honest, i was scared of this stage. 120kms through the hills with elite australian riders and a previous winner of a stage in the Giro?! It hurt just thinking about it. Anyhow, my mantra was "hold on, just whatever you do, hold on". The first lap it wasnt too bad. I was playing it smart, keeping in the pack and getting myself up to the front of the group just as we hit climbs so i could drop back a bit through the group and still be there at the end of the climb. This worked for lap 2 as well and i was feeling pretty good to be honest. Then on lap 3 the pace upped a bit. It wasnt much, but going 2-3 kms a hour faster up a climb i was already sitting at just below threshold on was beginning to take its toll, as my legs were already sore from the mornings TT. What really broke my spirit though was on lap 4 i was dying on the Patterson Rd climb, we are going up at 29-30kph and McKenzie and Mann are next to me, sitting up on the bike and having a chat about what they have been doing and "how are the kids going?" etc. I just thought "woah, these guys arent even hurting!!!". Coming up to the finish line on lap 4 someone attacked on the hill and that was it pop!, and my reverse lights went on. Its terrible when you get dropped on a climb because you are dying and they are only going a k or so faster but you cant get on for the life of you and you keep saying "in a sec, just a sec" but not today. Anyhow i wasnt an orphan on this climb and about 5 of us got dropped and got together. After another 1/2 a lap it was only 3 of us. Myself and two blokes from the Malaysian team. I sat on the front for a lap, which was fine, i was riding my own pace and was hurting enough, though after 30k's of this i look around and gesticulate "when the hell do you guys intend to do a turn?". Blank looks. Ok, they must be hurting more than me. This happens for another lap and we are just on the start of the final lap and i cramp up badly. I have to unclip and keep my leg streched out horizontally from the bike. God knows what someone driving past would have thought....I cant feel my feet, i cant feel any part of me privates and my back is killing me, but still, no little Malaysian prepared to come through for a turn!!!!! I ended up doing 60 hills k's with them sitting on my wheel . Even if they were hurting, obviously i was to. Maybe they dont teach them to do turns in Malaysia
.Anyhow, i finished 27 minutes down over 120kms. I didnt care, i had finished!!.
Sundays stage was a bit easier on paper, though i knew the fatigue of the day before would play a part and it did. I could hang and roll through the group, but when i hit the hill on each lap my legs were not interested. They had done their high intensity for the weekend and that was that. Luckily a breakaway formed after a lap and the group settled down a bit. We rolled through and i hung on at the hill on each lap. On the final lap we caught the breakaway at the foot of the zig-zig. The zig-zag is the road that goes up to Kalamunda and is 7-8k's or so of solid climbing. I hung on for about a k and that was that, i just couldnt will my legs to roll over anymore and my body was exhausted, finito, had it. I did my own pace to the top and only lost 5 minutes. Happy with that.
I always had this idea that if i got through the previous two road stages the crit would be a cakewalk. A display of celebration if you may. It was now, after 200+ racing k's in my legs over the previous 26 hours, that my opinion on this was rapidly changing. I was beginnning to realise that a lot of people who had not performed in the road stage swould be seeking redemption in the crit and that the pace was unlikely to drop below 45kph for most of the upcoming hour. It was also a hotdog circuit. I hate hotdog circuits. They suit little whippets, not 195cm logs like me.
I wasnt kidding myself now either. I knew i was rooted and i had about 10 minutes of high intensity left in the tank and that was it, my body was shutting down. I hoped, prayed!, that the crit would start off slow and build up. That would give myself time to recuperate and maybe my legs could be coaxed into it. I knew how crits in perth worked though; 15-20 minutes of attack after attack at 50+kph, 30 minutes of an easy pace, 10 minutes of 50+ again. I started ok, midpack, but could feel the hotdog corners taking its toll on me. The continuous acceleration out of the corners were hurting and after 15 minutes i blew and couldnt bridge the gap. i rolled around for a couple of laps and then pulled out.
My goal was to finish the whole tour, and even though i didnt it doesnt seem to be bothering me. I challenged my body and even though it wasnt very happy about the whole thing i feel stronger about it and gainedthat old diamond, experience.
Next week is the Menzies-Kalgoorlie. The richest one dayer in Australia. Hopefully i can pick some form up from this past weekend and pay for those new wheels.
Thanks heap to Jamie (till!) and Michael who came up and took happy snaps and supported (laughed at my distress
) me on the saturday arvo stage.
