This blog/site is a collection of my thoughts, articles and
other general excitement tied into cycling, training and competing
as a vegan bike racer and athlete.
On the Strava site (if you're not on there and have a Garmin unit or GPS smartphone, get on it, and if you follow me, i'll follow you back!) i noticed the 'Rapha Festive 500' contest, where you log 500km from Dec 23rd to 31st, and then maybe get to win stuff! Hurrah - seemed like a fun challenge!
I was especially inspired after a week of dry riding, and logging some good hours throughout December, and i've been really enjoying my time on the bike (much more so - often as my ride ends, i'm happy to be home and get off the bike, but lately i actually want to keep on going! Kind of unusual for me, as a trackie where the moto is 'the shorter the better'!)
So i jumped into the contest, and here it is:
RIDE #1 - Friday, Commute (12.4km, only 487.6km to go!)
heh - it's a contest right? Every km counts! I knew i was going to log a few km commuting going to the climbing gym and riding around doing some chores, so here it is. =)
In other news, i had checked the results, and by this point some people from Australia had already logged over 400km in 2 days - yikes!! I have 12.4km!
RIDE #2 - Saturday, Oak Bay Bikes Group Ride (98.6km, 111km Total)
No better way to get things started than my weekly group ride from the Oak Bay Bikes shop. As mentioned, we've had a spell of fantastic weather, so the light rain wasn't a chore. Given it was Xmas Eve, we kept the pace really civil, and only five of us rode the full route.
Doug, Dan and company, nearly back in town.
RIDE #3 - Sunday, Xmas Day Torrential Downpour
(29.2km, 140.2km so far)
The day was promising to be a crap one, but i managed to pick the single worst hour to be out...it just poured while i was out..very demoralizing. Entire ride consisted of heading out to the Switch Bridge, a common meeting spot where some others were possibly into an Xmas Day ride, and ran into Dan Leonard, who was logging a ton of km that week, and so encouraged him to join up to the Rapha500, and he quickly got the job done, the first in Victoria, and all of Canada i believe!
The wind was so strong that on the final stretch of my ride, despite just cruising along, i got a PR for a 4km section...
Just a bit of wind and rain this day.. Pictured is my trusty Ridley Orion winter bike, note the proper 'Wet Coast' fender & extender. ;)
Happy to be heading home and drying off..
RIDE #4 - Monday, Victoria Wheeler's Annual Boxing Day Time Trial (85.9km, 226.1 - almost 1/2 way!)
Always a fun test in the middle of our winter, the TT itself is just under 14km, on a pretty flat route. In the past i usually podium or am close to the top, usually not too many 'big hitters' out, and in part to lax participation from clubs, i managed to pull off one final win for the season! (Results)
Was expecting rain, but it held off, and enjoyed the ride back into town with Alex and Megan.
I nearly cracked this day and gave in.. It had been pouring rain for about 48hrs (didn`t bother going out Tuesday), and no sign of it abating. The only redeeming value was that it was a balmy 12C outside thanks to the wind from the south. But that still meant wind.
Many awful experiences to share from this, but perhaps the worst was any descent, with the rain smashing into my face and no optics due to the rain...after the big descent on East Saanich Rd, i opted to ride as few hills as i could... Misery was compounded with headphone issues, so even music was a frustration.. As i was on my way back into town, things started to come together, and i nearly enjoyed the last hour, despite the persistent weather conditions.
One of my few comforts..my home-made cocoa-orange chocolate chip energy cookie-bars - vegan of course!
I'm sure people are jealous they missed out riding in THAT for nearly 3hrs!
Food done...back to the rain..
RIDE #6 - Thursday, Lucky Timing (66.7km, 372km total - two days left!)
It's been dry in the mornings the last few days, but still calling for rain in the afternoons and evening. By the time i wrapped up work, it hadn't started raining, so i opted to get out, and managed to keep dry!
I felt like i was gambling with this route - i kept taking small sections that wove me away from town, but not too far in case the rain started...
On my final stretch along the Dallas Rd. waterfront as the evening was settling in, i saw Sylvan up ahead and chased him down to chat for a bit, and see how his riding was going.. After turning around for the final stretch back along the water for home, it started to sprinkle, and the wind was picking up. Turned out that evening was one of the worst nights for rides, and Sylvan was just getting his Rapha500 started...!
RIDE #7 - Friday, More Commuter Miles (16.8km, 388.8km - one day after this, looks good!)
Okay, it's a bit cheap, but i wanted a rest day and needed to do some chores, so logged my 'recovery' miles as i went to my bike shop Oak Bay Bikes, visited my buddy Emile, did some shopping, and then went downtown later to my club OrganicAthlete Victoria's primary sponsor Green Cuisine vegan restaurant for dinner with a friend (and a shameless opportunity to plug some awesome sponsors. ;)
RIDE #8 - Saturday, The Final Stretch, Another OBB Ride (123km... ??? total??)
Eeep! It's looking good! The loop is ~100km, so i figured adding on about 30min will get me safely over 110km, which was the goal for the day.
Thankfully, while cold, it was dry! Cruised over to the shop, and there was a good turn-out, and we headed out. Two flats in the first 30mins delayed things, but no issues the rest of the way to Sidney.
There, met up with Peter and Sylvan, who were also finishing off their Festive500 duties - Peter had about 170km left to go, and Sylvan needed around 200km to ride. That meant they'd both been out for the earlier Tripleshot 80km ride - yow!
Sylvan, Peter and myself - the Rapha Three! What on earth is Peter doing with just knee warmers? It was below freezing when he started!
Usually from there the group splits into a more 'peppy' group, and followed by a more 'steady' group. The three of us started to roll out with the peppy group, but as it was only about 5 people, we opted out, as it would mean a lot more work (at the front in the wind)...!
So we hung back and headed out with a much bigger group than usual.
The Oak Bay Bikes group!
On the road on Land's End
With the riders off the front, it meant that none of us could win the ride sprint, which bummed me a bit, but i figured i wouldn't have a lot of gas in the tank anyway.
Things got busted up on the Panorama Hill (posted my second fastest time) thanks in great part to Rhonda, and we split the group in two - Peter and Sylvan were in the front with me, so all good.
The pace was pretty steady back into town. Just past Brentwood (i think) the lead group met back up with us, so the sprint was fair game again!
The Sprint Report, brought to you by Dave`s Vegan Cookies:
Geoff took off pretty early, just before the hill by the Observatory (later he told me he just wanted to go harder and get more of a workout) - no one really chased, but the pace was still fairly high. The 15-or-so of us kept it together down the other side and around onto Interurban. We could see Geoff dangling ahead, and Peter started to tow the group at a faster pace... He pulled off, i then chased for a bit, then fell back to sit in. Wasn`t sure if i was going to sprint or not..still had over an hour of riding to go!
Got shuffled around in the group a bit, and Adam De Vos blasted away as the pace eased a bit... He caught Geoff fairly quick, by Camosun. I contemplated bridging up, but we still had about 1k to go to the sprint, and there was a very strong headwind.
Peter got back on the front and picked up the pace again, and the gap really began to shrink. There were a few more people up front, pulling and pulling off...over the final crest i was 3rd wheel behind Guy and Trevor, and Guy was putting in an effort. I felt solid, and was in a great position, so decided i would sprint!
We were just about to hit the final 'double' - two little risers with the sprint line 50m beyond the crest, and Guy pulled off. Trevor usually puts in a good effort, and so i was hoping to soak his draft for another 20m or so to get me up the hill a bit more, but he stuck to Guy's wheel and didn't pick up, so it was go time!
I jam the pedals seated for a few strokes as we speed up the hill, then i'm out of the saddle hammering for all i'm worth! We fly past Geoff, who's clearly died, and 20m before the line i grin over at a flat-lined Adam as i'm leading the charge for the line!
I haven't looked back, so no idea who's coming up - but i press on knowing there's someone to my left... 5m and i can tell it's Tom Skinner. Uh oh! 4m...3m...the gear is feeling big...2m..1m...he's right there - i throw the bike, and it looks like my wheel hits the line first!!! I raise my arm, but so does Tom!!
It was really close, and it's New Year's Eve, so we agree on a tie for the final win sprint of the OBB ride for 2011.
At that point, Peter has logged all the kilos needed for his Festive 500 - another reason to cheer! We continue rolling into town, i also take the final King of the Overpass at the Switch Bridge. ;)
The group is really shrinking, and on Harbour Rd Peter and Sylvan turn off for a coffee shop stop. Geoff, Adam and myself carry on for the final stretch along the water, and afterwards continue on for a little while longer, just to ensure that i get the distance i needed - plus the sun was out, and i was feeling great, despite having logged 512km in such a short time (much more than i'm accustomed to!)
Nearly there!
Big ups to Strava and Rapha Clothing for putting on the Festive 500, it was a ton of fun (despite the crap weather here!) Good motivation to get out and ride, and inspiring to see how others are doing (the current leader logged over 1,400km..wow!)
Thanks to two other club sponsors for keeping me going, Vega for their bars, gels and fantastic Sport protein powder, and to Purica for their amazing Recovery ES product - nearly magical i say!
And mad props for the other four Victoria, BC riders who completed this - Dan (who may lead the country with 551km!), Peter, Sylvan (did i mention he rode about 460km in the final two days) and Jamie Cameron, who is in California for the holidays, and finished the Hincapie Grand Fondo today. Also congrats to Andrew Pickell from the mainland (Vancouver), who for all i know is the only other Canuck to complete the contest, and is new to the cycle-racing world!
I have chosen to make this a public topic, rather than quit silently. The issues facing the GVVA Board are chronic, and desperately need outside influence. I'm regretful to have to even do this, but matters have not been dealt with internally.
----
To the Greater Victoria Velodrome Association and Members (who deserve full
disclosure, and i believe these issues need public attention):
To the Board,
I here-by resign my position.
Your incompetence as a Board is only rivaled by your lack of
sensitivity.
I want nothing more to do with you. You leave me feeling ill and have
completely ruined my summer cycling experience, and my time with this
organization (since 2004, a Board member since 2005). You have taken advantage
of my goodwill and willingness to contribute for the final time.
Your method of 'resolving' conflict is shameful, and had you any decency or
empathy you'd perhaps begin to feel embarrassed and regretful with how you've
handled -- better said: neglected -- the issues i've had to face, over and over
and over and over dealing with 'President' Chris Anstey, who has done so much to
undermine the efforts of myself and others. Your inaction has only empowered
Chris, and crippled those trying to work for the Club.
To be perfectly clear on the matter: Chris Anstey deserves 80% of the
credit for my resignation, and the Board the other 20% for their negligence and
irresponsible behavior in dealing with matters. (Chris likely believes he has
been acting appropriately because rarely do Board members besides myself attempt
to communicate concern. My own voice is lost on him.) I am embarrassed for, and
regret having encouraged my friends Emile and Ailsa into this trainwreck (who
stepped in as a Director and Treasurer this summer). They, and Brian, are Board
members exempt from my concerns; they barely had a chance to get involved.
To the Members: you should be alerted to the fact
that i am the second GVVA Director to quit in protest this week.
Glenn Barr, who brought a vast amount of experience and knowledge and
progressive thinking from the Burnaby Velodrome, also quit in protest this
week due to the behavior of the other Board members, and Glenn specifically
highlighted issues in dealing with Chris. (This is not new, as we also have had
to deal with and respond to numerous complaints of inappropriate and
unacceptable behavior by Chris from members, coaches, and others.) Little of
this has prompted any action from the rest of the Board, whom he also shared
concern over.
After Glenn quit, i called on the rest of the Board to ask Chris to step
down, immediately. I was promptly ignored, there was no discussion on the
matter as is the 'standard practice' when there is a conflict in this group.
(Glenn quit, and there was hardly anything said!!) I 'boycotted' the Provincial
Track Championships in protest to Chris' continued involvement. I felt that was
the only way i could 'voice' myself. That seems to have had little effect or
meaning with the Board, so now i have only one option left: to quit.
The 'final straw' was seeing Chris give out the Junior 'Record Breakers'
awards. It's an idea i conceived as part of a possible alternative event to the
Provincial Championships, which were at risk of being canceled because i had to
quit *attempting* to organize due to Chris' efforts to undermine me - Emile and
Gillian took over. The 'Record Breakers' concept was weakly injected into the
Provincial Championships instead.
The goal of the 'Record Breakers' is to encourage more youth involvement
(highlighting their times in our 'Record Books', and encouraging them to come
back break their records a few times each year.) This was one final slap in the
face for me: witnessing the epitome of my summer's grief giving out (and doing
so poorly, unable to even pronounce names of kids who've been coming out for
weeks) awards to 'the future of the track' as though all were fine and he was
worthy of this role, and the unthinking Board members clearly oblivious to
significance of this event, with no consideration given to how this might
feel to me.
Members: All is not lost. If you care, please step up at the AGM this Fall,
and volunteer yourselves to give this facility a positive, progressive and
potent Board of Directors. Please change things so that no single person can
ruin this experience for another, and ensure the Board values harmony and
open communication, not silence and disgraceful tolerance of undermining
behavior and 'executive decisions'. Concerns should be taken seriously, and
resolved immediately. If the current (shrinking) Board remains, there is no
chance for change, and more will quit in frustration. The GVVA Members deserve
better.
Members: please call on the Board for these changes, and demand the Chris
Anstey be removed as President immediately. He is a disgrace, and should be
tolerated no longer.
I am feeling very hurt and disappointed. This organization has left me with
so much regret.
Dave Shishkoff (former Director of Racing of the GVVA)
PS - if you would like to discuss this further, or share your thoughts, i
am copying this to my personal blog and you're welcome to comment there: http://cycling.davenoisy.com
====
Background: A Shortlist of Recent Significant
Issues Involving 'President' Chris Anstey
* Frequent Complaints from Members -
members of the GVVA Board have found themselves frequently apologizing for the
behavior and actions of Chris Anstey, who is unclear and obtuse, and often
supplying incorrect answers.
* Website-gate - in late May i
discovered our website had been 'taken over' by another member. I had no idea
how this came about, and alerted the Board, and was preparing to contact the
police and internet registry organizations as the member refused to comply with
my requests to return the website. Two days into the matter, despite being aware
of the concern, Chris Anstey finally 'revealed' that he had made an 'executive
decision' a few weeks earlier, to have this person run the website - a duty i
had fulfilled since 2005, without alerting or informing anyone on the Board,
including me. All were mystified.
* Last Term as President - in a
meeting to resolve 'website-gate', Chris Anstey revealed this was his last term
as President. Since he was 'leaving', there was seemingly little reason to
chastise him over this incident, which probably lead to the rest of the issues,
presuming he would behave otherwise. _Let this be a lesson to all_.
* Under The Lights - this race
series, run by Chris Anstey, cost the club (ie, your money) an estimated $700.
It was poorly considered and executed, and had virtually no preparation or
promotion from Chris Anstey. He did not ask for any assistance (promotion,
volunteers, sponsors, officials, etc). He did not re-evaluate the situation, and
felt entitled to charge members $25 for a poorly-organized event, which gauged
our bank account - a loss on all accounts. The most troubling aspect is that
even after record memberships (our primary income), our bank account was around
$800 before the Provincial Championships. There is no excuse that this type
of event should have cost us a single cent, let alone $700. I expressed
significant concern over our financial situation to the Board. There has been
little discussion. Provincials could very well push the GVVA further into the
red (and yes, i begged for a budget for this as well).
* Disorganizing Provincial
Championships - for some inexplicable reason, the person Chris
Anstey tasked with organizing Provincials wasn't going to even be here for the
event, nor the week(s) leading up to it. I was 'second' in charge. I kept trying
to get information from this person, including a schedule, which was produced
weeks after a date we had agreed on. Further details were also delayed or
withheld, making the job of ensuring a successful Provincial Championships a
nightmare, and a personal embarrassment as i couldn't answer any questions. Over
a month ago i sent a worried email to the Directors list, asking someone PRESENT
be assigned Head Organizer. I believe at this time Emile suggested me. Silence
ensued. I continued to work with what i could. Two weeks later (three weeks
ago), i sent ANOTHER worried email, highlighting the same issues, and that we
were getting down to the wire. A small amount of discussion, but nothing
resolved. A few days later, i quit my role in Provincials (and nearly quit the
board then.)
* Board Member Quits - as mentioned
above, Glenn Barr, involved with the GVVA since 2008 and joining the Board this
year, quit in protest this week. Not the first time i've witnessed this in the
organization; another former Board member remains silent, but also quit in
protest of Chris.
* Jersey Shorn - Glenn had took
on the new GVVA club jerseys, organizing their design, production and a
SIGNIFICANT discount for us. He proposed prices for them, and they were approved
by the Board, with a small profit, but still very affordable for members. Chris
Anstey made an 'executive decision' without even informing the rest of the Board
to charge more, and did so to Members. (Unsure if they've been reimbursed. Or
maybe we're charging the new price. Who knows.)
* Provincials Race Director - days
before Provincials, Chris Anstey 'announced' that he would take on the role of
'Race Director', and that it was 'always the plan' - which was news to all,
and in reality the role originally assigned to me. This was a deliberate lie to
the Board. This was allowed to pass unchallenged, demeaning me
personally.
* What's your value? Chris
Anstey recently sent an email to the Directors describing his value as $75/hr
(claiming what he made in his previous employment) implying that only certain
tasks were worth his value, undermining and devaluing the contributions of
*everyone* in the organization with this claim - which would be laughable were
it not so insulting.
* Unaccountable - Chris Anstey
refuses to answer important and relevant questions or be accountable for his
actions. I asked for his budget for the Under The Lights program. He refused to
provide any information - i had to make the calculations myself, the only reason
it was revealed the Club had taken such a hit losing $700. I also asked to
account for his activity organizing the Under The Lights series. No response.
Chris Anstey acts with impunity, an attitude tolerated and unchallenged by the
rest of the GVVA Board.
* Second Board Member Quits a Few Days
Later - 'nuff said.
These are great for cyclocross or commuter bikes. All come with necessary hardware (ie, hanger for the Paul's), tho the Neo-Retro's don't have brake pads, but will dig something up if desperate. Note: will sell Paul's set for $100 - light and strong brakes.
Two sets of cranks, note the 105's are 165mm length - give it a try, your spin will improve!
- Campy Chorus Ultratorque Compact (50/34), 170mm, w/BB Cups (not shown). Rings are relatively fresh, used a different set for cyclocross. Have extra chainring bolts (like $40 value). Bearings are looking pretty worn, re-greased but may need replacing. Very light crank, only selling because i prefer the 165mm length. $400
- Shimano 105 Compact (50/34), 165mm, well-used BB cups if wanted. Hardly used, maybe 5-6 rides total. A bit scuffed tho. $100
Seatpost
Thomson Masterpiece, 27.2, short 240 length. Freaking light. $80
Salsa El Go Go full scandium 54cm frame with carbon fork in green (unique!!), i'm basically giving away the frame, which has been well-used although in good condition with minimal markings and scuffs. Just looking for $$ for the parts, which include:
Asking $450 for the full package. If interested in MOST of the parts, can sell off independently. A deal if you get cranks and/or seatpost as well for more of a complete package.
Salsa ChiliConCrosso, 54cm, scandium w/orange Salsa carbon fork w/alloy steerer. Some of the nicest decals i've ever seen on a bike, total eye candy especially with the fork. Well-ridden (3 seasons), still in good condition, should be good for a few more seasons! Comfy ride, will miss it, upgraded to the Ridley X-Night. $SOLD!
Argon18 Radon, 54cm, alloy front triangle, carbon stays and fork, reasonably lightweight! Very well used, warning - was crashed. It was checked it out, only issue is a small dent in the top tube (barely noticed!) I would be still riding (happily!) but got a replacement. Still really like this frame, and funnily enough one of Victoria's fastest TT riders has this as his TT frame as well (Emile!) $150
2010 Niner RIP9, Medium, Orange, 4.5" front & back. ~29lbs. Breaks my heart to sell this, but i'm not riding offroad nearly as much. Will be replacing with a hardtail. Note the frame is practically new, replaced in Feb 2010, will carry 5yr warranty at OBB, and not ridden a ton since replaced.
As far as the bike goes, it's the best riding bike out there, period. If you want to hit the trails and simply have fun, this is it. It's not terribly fast uphill, but climbs really well, really nice handling and characteristics. Downhill is another story, and this things likes to go fast, and will add confidence, as well as pure pleasure. $3000
- Manitou Minute29 fork, 20mm bolt-on axel
- SRAM X9 shifters
- Avid Juicy 7 brakes, 160mm rotors, new pads
- Easton EA70 bar and new Pro grips
- Specialized side-entry bottle cage (allows for big bottles!)
- XT 170mm triple cranks, all rings recently replaced
- XT pedals
- newish XT Chain & SRAM cassette, 11-34
- Fr Der is XT, Rear Der is X0
- Raceface Evolve seatpost (no saddle, tho check out above, might toss in if offer good)
- wheels are Stan's ZTR Flow 29er rims with WTB Laser hubs, quite light
- WTB Prowler 2.1 front tire, Specialized FastTrak rear, tubeless ready. (Pictured is a different tire in the front, sorry, keeping the Weirwolf!)
Sad to part with this bike, but c'est la vie..i'm pretty spoiled with my other bikes! Organic stickers are optional. ;)
Extra - PowerTap SL MTB Disc
Another part i don't really want to part with, but i'm open to offers. PowerTap Wireless SL+ built up to a ZTR 355 29er, surprisingly light! Newish XT cassette. Includes the mounting harness and LYC (Little Yellow Computer) and Maxxis CrossMark, tubeless. $1500
Riding with a power meter can help put things in perspective.
So does riding Newton Heights! (One of the local weekly road race courses. Short, hilly course.)
There's really no hiding, and where the number of laps = Z, it's Z x [big anaerobic efforts].
The Basics
I rode a few laps with the pack tonight, and then off the back, to get some baseline numbers.
A typical lap with the pack sees about 1min of climbing, and my wattage (at ~165lbs, plus a slightly heavier winter bike with fenders) was ~500w for that kind of effort.
It looks a bit like this: 650w for the first 22 seconds to get to the top of the steep bit, and then ~440w for the other 28 second. (There's about 10 seconds of easier climbing [like 300-400w] that you roll into at speed at the start.)
As the watts go down, so does the time to complete the climb..350w takes more like 1:30 to do. About 26 seconds still above 500w on the steep bit, and the other minute closer to 280w.
Watts will vary for weight, but that's a good baseline.
Watt It Means (har har)
Completing this course in the upper levels of the A pack requires being able to hold 500w efforts for 1min 15 times.
In universal terms that's about 6.9w/kg for 1min efforts.
Oh Yes - Recovery
Oh, and recovery. Typical lap times are just over 2mins, so you have 1min to recover...half is a coast down the hill, unlikely to see much race action there, but on the other side there could be attacks leading to the hill, so even if you can sustain the above, you *still* need to have something in the tank to respond to other efforts. Or if someone goes even harder up the hill. Etc. Etc.
What This Means If You're The Shish
Stay the frell* home!!!
My peak 1min power is 540w. As in: i ride as hard as i can for 1min, and it's gonna be around 540w. And then i puke a few times, and get towed home with my ass in a sling. (Okay, slight exaggeration, but definitely need significant recovery after that type of effort.)
I just don't have the engine to compete with my peers at this event, straight-up, and there's nothing i can do about it (ie, hide in the draft). I can manage the slower 1:30 pace, but that's pretty much red line, and not a lot of fun, as i'm getting caught every 4 laps or so, and too fatigued to stand any chance of sitting back in...
It's an exercise in futility, if VCL points are the goal, and more than 10 riders complete the race. ;)
* bonus points to anyone who actually knows the reference
Dedication
Today a good riding friend, Gillian Carleton, was smucked by a car (sounds like a similar situation to me a couple months ago, but apparently at a higher speed) and she'll need a few weeks to recover. This is really sad and frustrating news as she was really picking up speed, and had her sights set on storming a few big events (and she would have dominated!!) as well as organizing the OBB women's team; hopefully this doesn't hold her back, and i hope to see her back on her feet pronto.
I've started a neat new vegan cycling project, a community for vegan cyclists (and those interested in either), and the message board can be found here:
Started a training log there, and posted reports on the latest Oak Bay ride yesterday, and today's Boxwood Crit, also got a new wattage PB, find out more here:
That's how much racing there is for me...i've started, and will be going until the end of November - woo woo!
There will be naseousness, fatigue, mood swings, body image issues, elevated and depleted hormone levels...all as my body feeds a hungry set of quintuplets to maturity.
Who am i kidding, muscles never mature. I'd rather be pregnant!! =P
Anyway, back into the swing of things... First up, should mention i was smucked by a car a month ago. Well, technically i smucked a car. I was riding home on the Goose, and a car failed to stop at the stop sign, and i didn't have time to react other than run into the rear end of the Subaru. The driver was mortified, and apologized thoroughly, although admitted she didn't even see the stop sign, and was only looking for pedestrians at the painted cross-walk. She's new to town, and didn't expect faster moving cyclists on the trail, and only looked for walkers at the edge of the road. Not an excuse, but an explanation. And perhaps the City of Victoria could look into the matter, and present clear postings on this section of the Goose that it's also (primarily?) a bike trail, and to expect faster-moving traffic...
I mainly landed on my upper butt and back of my head...i was able to ride home (uncomfortably), but i discovered that that part of my butt is essential for sprinting and power efforts...took me three weeks to be able to hit over 1000 watts.... I think i'm mostly recovered now, hopefully nothing long-lasting.
Gear was damaged, and is being replaced, including my trusty old Argon18 Krypton (alloy front, carbon rear) winter bike frame...it lasted nearly 5 years i think....or was it 7?? In its place will be a full carbon Ridley Orion - yip! It should be ready tomorrow (thanks Oak Bay Bikes!) A few other odds'n'ends were replaced, like my helmet.
So, now up to two Ridley's (with my Noah of course), and will be three come the fall, when i upgrade my Salsa and switch over (most likely) to a X-Knight. Yum.
So...races...
Lots going on, but haven't been out to some...missed the Blubber Burn due to feeling crappy, and similar issue with the Island Cup MTB race at the Dump (was kept up most of the night by people upstairs...ugh..)
So, first race was the VCL Caleb Pike. Ate just before the start, and my stomach crapped out when the intensity picked up...so it was a 1x100min interval for me...haha.. Kept ahead of the B's for an hour, so that was something.
Next race was the Dallas Rd Monster Drag, super-fun event and format. Let's just say 4th was actually 1st. ;)
Was really impressed with the fixie riders, many made it up the Uplands hill with the front, and stuck in for a while.
That was last Saturday, and Sunday was the return of the Latoria course to the VCL, still has a hill in it, but quite a few less meters of elevation.
Been burning the candle at both ends the last couple weeks, so didn't have a lot of kick, and again got dropped fairly early on. TT'd the rest of the event, and the B's didn't even catch me....how odd! Solid watts tho, despite fatigue.
Speaking of which, TSS for the last two weeks was about 805 and 840, and 700 is a pretty hard week for me, so it's safe to say i'm working it..hoping to get above 850 this week, but have a sinus issue that's putting me out, so might not quite achieve that, only did 1hr on Tuesday instead of the planned 5x5mins session.
Training has been great otherwise tho, lots of quality time the last couple weeks, couldn't do anything sprinty, so more like 2x20min efforts. But will be dropping down to 5mins efforts and shorter in the upcoming weeks. Not next week tho, rest week!
Is it just me, or is it harder to train when it's colder out...say below 5C?
Went out for my aforementioned intervals on Tuesday (with anti-blogger Gillian), and it was okay when i left my home... Met Gillian downtown, and as we left it started snowing. As we were cruising along the Goose out to Metchosin, it went from snow to sleet to rain..then stopped and cleared up as we turned onto Metchosin.
Got to the bottom of the quarry hill, and we went off to do our workouts, and as we started, it started hailing (or snowing like gangbusters). Ouch. Only lasted a minute or so, then cleared up again, pretty much for the rest of the day...
Still, was a bit chilled to start (was *slightly* under-dressed.) The first 20min FTP effort felt okay, looked like i was staying in the 265-275w range.. Rested a few mins, and went for the second effort. Felt sluggish, but pushed through, wasn't so fun closer to the end... I think the cold just saps it from the muscles.
Ride home was okay, but felt like work as well..felt beat when i got home.
Workout wasn't really all that great tho, by the numbers.. 257w for #1 (both NP and AP), and the AP for #2 was 260w. Oddly, it was 259w NP. How does that happen...?
Anyway, that's a bit short of the 270w i was aiming for...and it sure felt like i'd done it. HR was about right as well...and RPE.. I'm guessing it was just the cold.
Okay, so i think we all agree it sucks riding in the cold. What's worse, we now have a ton of snow in Victoria. Happy Birthday to me...hahah.. My 35th birthday will always be remembered as the one with all the snow.
Don't know if i'll make it out on the bike tomorrow due to this...maybe a trainer ride..? Maybe head over to OBB and build up my TT bike if my levers arrive...!
Well that's about it. I think i'll conclude with the honey badger video. What a badass he is! He doesn't give a shit about anything, that honey badger.
Winter's passing along nicely in the Garden City, we've had great weather overall. Got a bit of a sunny spell, which is fab. Sadly, i'm not riding my Ridley Noah because my PowerTap (wireless SL+) has been sent away to have the bearings replaced...which is surprising given that i've had it like 4 months and it's barely been ridden. Saris insists that the bearings be replaced by their tech support..ridiculous. My wheel has to be sent away to Vancouver for nearly a week to have a 10min job done to it. Gah.
I just pulled all the wired PT cables off the Noah as well, otherwise i'd run the other (wired PT) wheel...so i'm stuck on the winter bike, which is fine...but it'd be nice to ride my summer bike when it's nice out!
On top of that, my MTB PowerTap is also away, somehow i dislodged the race on the drive side (that the freehub sits in), so it's being replaced i think. It's been away over a month tho. So two out of my three PowerTaps are being serviced. WTF? Not so sure i can recommend these things at the moment..the older Wired models are pretty bullet-proof tho.
I've begun doing intervals as well, in Jan i went out to the Observatory a number of times to practice climbing out of the saddle. I'm planning to do a bit more road racing this year, and climbing is a weak spot, so working on my core and form climbing out of the saddle a bunch more, hopefully that helps a bit and keeps me in the pack.
This week i'm doing longer threshold work, 2x20mins at threshold (270 watts) tomorrow, and likely Thu as well. Next week back to more hills, likely Neild Rd. Ouch. It really kicks you in the pants at the top as it just gets steeper and steeper. After that tho, most other hills will feel 'easy'.
Training Logging
How do you keep track of what events you're doing, and the training leading up to them? I don't really like using an electronic calendar (ie, Google Calendar), i find it a bit clunky, slow to update, and you can't really transport it (say, to meetings, etc.) So i did a search for PDF calendars, and i found this useful website: http://www.calendarlabs.com/pdf-calendar.php
It's pretty basic, but it let's you create a calendar (with lots of space to write in) and publishes a PDF that's easy to print. Here's what i've come up with:
This is perfect for what i'm doing, and i can mark out and map 4 week training blocks, leading up to "A" events, etc.. Also, easy to write in various events like VCL races, etc.. Me likey! Also, i can take a quick pic, and share what i'm doing for the month! Check back in a week for March's excitement! hahaha..
New Toy - TT Bike
I mentioned in my last entry that i got a TT frame (Salsa!!) and most of the parts i've ordered for it have come in..it's going to be a total Frankenstein of a bike. So i've got Shimano 105 165mm compact cranks, SRAM shifters, and hopefully some Vision brake levers. I'll be using some old parts (like my Veloce brakes), some stuff off my Salsa CX bike (Chorus derailleurs, Thompson seatpost), and the pursuit bars from my track bike (Specialized stem, Profile T2+ bars and basebar). Will get a Tritip seat, and for wheels i'll use my HED3 up front, and wireless PT wheel on the rear (maybe get a disc cover if i feel really bold..) This might get built up this week...weeee!
To conclude, a recipe! Inspired from the Rice Crispy Squares from Sarah Kramer's How It All Vegan, i've made some adaptations - served these up at a UVic Friends of Animals potluck last week, they were a big hit:
Dave's Crispy Rice Polygons
1/2 c brown rice syrup
1/2 c golden syrup
1c fair trade cane sugar
1c cashew butter
1tbsp vanilla
1tsp salt
6c organic rice crispies
In a saucepan, warm up the syrups and sugar together until a bit bubbly. Add in cashew butter, vanilla and salt, mix well.
In a bowl, pour in the crispies. Pour the saucepan contents on top. Mix well.
Pour those into some bakeware (or rubbermaid, or whatever). I suggest lubing it first, i like using coconut oil, so they don't stick and come out well. Pack it down fairly well, so the squares come out firm.
Refrigerate for 40mins. Enjoy!
There you have it, a quick and easy delicious vegan treat! Next time i'm going to try 100% brown rice syrup, but didn't want to list that in case it came out funky. =)
I've been enjoying watching the amazing cyclocross coverage of various Belgium and World Cup races all fall/winter - have you? If not, here's how!
Generally, Cyclocrosschannel on YouTube has been uploading the races (the last two laps), and the Belgians have AWESOME coverage.
The other easy option is to just search for "cyclocross <>", location of course being where the race was (i check Cyclingnews to see what the last few events were), and then on the right 'Sort By Date', otherwise you might get events from other years, etc..
Below are the last three events from Belgium, they get increasingly exciting, with a fantastic finish in the 3rd race in Baal, check it:
Ooops. Really slacked off on the updates for the last few months!
Well, HAPPY NEW YEAR! =)
Quick recap of the last few months...
Cyclocross
Had a really fun season, rode well, but it ended a bit early.. Raced Elite for the first time, and had to accept getting lapped once or twice by Craig Richey and others.
Started to go downhill when i first got sick in early Nov for a week, which really set me back, and it started on the double-header weekend here....i still went out and rode, and the courses were pretty awesome - so wish i was feeling better - i might have done alright on them. =(
Port Alberni (#6?) came around, and i was feeling better, and had a pretty good race - Roland dropped out, he wasn't having fun...so i finally gained points on him! The course was HARSH tho, especially all the grass-come-mud just before the barriers...then the slick spot at the foot of the barriers, pretty much killing any chance for maintaining the small amount of momentum you might have hit them with..
Then, the Snowpocolypse happened, and we had like a week of snow, which caused the cancellation of the Finals up at Shawnigan. I was really looking forward to that..gaah.. Provincials were the next week, but i'd been sidelined so much that i had no motivation to head over, so that was pretty much that.
Still, beat Roland in the Cross on the Rocks series points for the first time, so happy with that. =)
The Wed night practices this year were AWESOME. Some of the courses were UNSPEAKABLY FUN, like out at Royal Roads. And huge turn-outs, like 50-70 peeps most nights.
The last 'cross event of the year was an Alleycat-style 'Cross Contaminated' CX race put on by Capital City Cycles, and it was all around 10 Mile Point (starting and ending in the Caddy Bay park), and you had to ride around to 7 different spots to collect tokens. Marty and i rode it together, and he was a superb navigator, and was really fit, so i mainly just clung to his wheel. He motored off after the final stop, so i lost a place to him and another rider (i also killed myself on the OBB ride the day before ;) and finished around 7th. It was very fun. Here's the Garmin file:
Managed to race it this year (last year my chain seized up!) Very good time for me, about 22:30, which is around a minute faster than any previous effort! I got 3rd behind Jamie Cameron, who rode an impressive 20:19, and Angus Errington who edged me out by 10sec.
Very happy with my wattage, total average was around 292w, i eased off on the way out (it was more downhill), and averaged ~284w for 10min, and then for the 11:30 back, got up around 304w. I goofed near the end tho, i thought i had a kilo to go and started to really hoof it, but it was closer to 2.5k...whoops!
I've picked up a lot of neat things in the last few months, to highlight a few:
I raced tubeless (in the rear) for cyclocross, had a Stan's 24h Alpha340 built up to a new wireless PowerTap (yay! No cables!) It'll do double-duty - CX in the fall, and road in the spring/summer. Surprisingly light, around 950g i think.
Tried out some new tires and loved them: the Specialized Captain's. They're EXCELLENT for local conditions. Better than the Michelin Mudd2's, but very close to the original green Mudd's. I'd give them the edge for stickiness and connection to wet pavement (you'll die cornering on wet pavement on the green Mudds.) Held up really nicely as tubeless as well. I also tried harder pressure this year, instead of around 30psi i went up to 55psi, and i found that actually worked really well (most races were dry.)
On my old wired PowerTap, the Mavic OpenPro ceramic was getting pretty worn (over 3yrs of constant use!! Maybe close to 50,000km!), so i also went with the Stan's rim on there too, but with the Hutchinson Fusion 3 road tubeless - VERY NICE. You can read my review on the Oak Bay Bikes site. Still waiting for a puncture!!
Swapped handlebars, now riding the FSA Wing Pro (alloy) - i forgot how nice the flat tops are. I used to get numb hands sometimes, it's now GONE. Will be upgrading to carbon on the Noah in the summer, and use those alloy ones on my CX bike (likely a X-Knight - woo woo!!)
Also got a Sugoi RS Zero jacket (i don't have anything windproof, surprisingly), and this has been a VERY comfy jacket so far. It doesn't get too up, at least up to 10C. When it's down under 4C, it's worthwhile putting arm warmers on underneath, and haven't really gone below zero, but i imagine my regular thermal jersey or base-layer will suffice. It has a nice, tight race-fit tho, so no flapping, and there are two easy-to-reach open pockets, and a big zippered pocket as well. Will likely post a longer review on the OBB site.
OrganicAthlete Victoria
Our little club has been doing well, a bit slow this year, but for 2011 looks like we'll have a few new faces out sporting the colors and racing, and i'm really excited that Ridley Bikes is a new team sponsor!! (Big up to Oak Bay Bikes for getting us AMAZING deals on bikes.)
New Years Eve Lucky Draw
I popped into OBB on my New Year's Eve easy spin with Emile, to check out my MTB PowerTap wheel, which is hosed.... It appears the race for the freehub has cracked and displaced....yow!
Backing up a bit: an MTB ride a few weeks ago ended tragically up on BW, we were just starting to hit the main descents (past the 'lookout' spot), and my freehub seized up...i couldn't coast, it just kept spinning around. And then tore off my derailleur to boot. Had to run back to the parking lot most of the way (there isn't much coasting on BW. As a bright point, i learned that this is NOT a trail that would be very fun in reverse.)
Luckily the bolt on the D was easy to replace. Unluckily the PT was pooched. Shipping back to get looked at...this has been a very unlucky hub. It didn't transmit when i got it, so had to send back, and then it wasn't holding a zero very well...and now this. Crumbs.
What's this Lucky Draw you speak of? I saw something familiar hanging up...looked like a TT frame...it had green...it was a SALSA! It's Curtis' (actually Chris') Salsa 'El GoGo' TT frame that i've been drooling over for a number of years...
"What's this doing here?" i asked Gillian. "Oh, Chris was clearing out a bunch of stuff." "Oh!! I've been fawning over this for years, how much??" "It's free." *noise of jaw hitting floor*
I'm pretty stoked to have this now.. I didn't *really* want another bike, but a TT bike isn't going to go unused, and i've actually got most parts i need...i think i'll just have to get shifters (Campy??), derailleurs, a headset and cranks.
I can cannibalize some gear from my track bike (aero bars, seatpost and seat), given that i prolly won't be riding it. (Go to hell you petty prick Mayor Dave Saunders!!!!)
I *could* use the cranks from it, and go single-chainring, but there's some spots it's gonna suck to ride...so i'm thinking another set of compact Red cranks (165mm of course).
I can still use the Noah for TT's if travelling 'light', but for the regular stuff around here, it'll be handy to just swap in my PowerTap wheel.
Riding
Was on the bike 4 days a week pretty much all of December, i think i carried some good fitness through once again (just riding, no intervals.) Been hooking up with the Russ Hayes group on some Tue and Thu nights - nice to have a bit of extra motivation to get me out. (Another gear review is due for the NiteRider Pro700 light, which is AWESOME.) Saturday's i'm still out with the OBB group of course (totally destroyed the field in the sprint in the final ride of the year! =)
In a couple weeks i'll start adding more structure to my training, i'm thinking longer (20-30mins) threshold intervals (270w for me.) Good way to get things going, and bump up my overall fitness. Not entirely sure what i'll do this year...i'm guessing i'll have to suck it up and get out on the road and try to get stronger on the hills, otherwise i'm pretty limited. We'll see...
So, that's 2010, here we go into 2011...have a great one!! =)
PS - i'm pretty active on the Twitter with both vegan and cycling updates daily, so follow me there if you use it too! And say 'hi'! =)
It's been pretty heavily edited, below is the original of what i submitted, for your reading pleasure:
Dear Editor,
It’s been two years since Colwood Mayor Dave Saunders, Les Bjola and the rest of the West Shore Parks and Recreation Society (WSPRS) Society locked the Greater Victoria Velodrome Association (GVVA) and all other users out of the velodrome.
Much to the surprise of many, yes, the velodrome still sits there, idle. It’s fenced in, but is just as usable as it was two years ago, before the WSPRS’s failed bid to fill it in and build a new soccer stadium. It’s an undeniable fact that this facility remains one of the best velodromes in all of North America - even after two years of complete neglect.
Instead of allowing user groups to return, WSPRS maintains their commissioned ‘safety report’ as a reason for the track to remain closed. In doing so, WSPRS loses income opportunities from multiple groups that would utilize it, preventing numerous local groups from benefiting from this Commonwealth legacy. Not only do velodrome enthusiasts use it for training and racing, but several other cycling and triathlon clubs also used it. Youth cycling, including elementary and high school programs would also visit the track. Why? Because the velodrome is the safest place to ride a bicycle on Vancouver Island, and coaches can keep an eye on people at ALL times. It’s ideal for many cycling uses, including parents who’d bring their kids to learn to ride a bike.
Income is also being denied to the Juan de Fuca Recreation Center, as none of these groups are contributing any longer, and instead WSPRS goes further into the red in payment for the temporary fencing. How does this make any sense when the Center is already so short of cash?
The safety report itself is specious at best. One example claims the movable goal posts a hazard. (Yes, the operative word is movable, and a two foot push is all anyone had to do to negate this ‘concern’.) The GVVA has offered to fulfill and address every single concern, including spending money to patch the worn infield, which isn’t even used by the velodrome users. (Might I add that the WSPRS has neglected the artificial surface for years, and was to have put aside money for this inevitability, yet now expects the GVVA to pay for it if we are to access the velodrome ever again. How is that ultimatum in any way fair?)
Mayor Saunders and the WSPRS have been petty and small-minded in these affairs, and it is their neglect and failed interests that denies Victoria’s cycling community fair use of an important and desired facility.
Victoria pro-cyclist Ryder Hesjedal had an amazing Tour de France, and has on numerous times spoken in favor of our velodrome, and its special place in our community. Even his concerns seem unconvincing, and fall on deaf ears as well. (I wonder how would WSPRS respond of Ryder asked to train on the velodrome?)
We’ve heard enough excuses; if Saunders really wants to prove his support for cycling, it’s time he worked with the GVVA and developed a plan to allow users to return, and post haste. We could have a couple months of usage this year, if he would simply relent and try working with us instead of against us. And it would involve little more from the WSPRS than handing over a key.
Dave Shishkoff
Director of Racing & Events
Greater Victoria Velodrome Association
Back up to the Ob for my pre-CX prep, the lovely Over/Under intervals. Tonight looked something like:
2mins U (260w) - get's me past the second gate 1min O (350w) - ends a bit before the first little steep bit before the switchback 2min U - gets me about 1/2 way up the first steep bit after the switchback 1min O - gets me to the first level of buildings 1min U - gets me about to the fire hydrant 1min O - top!
4mins rest ride back to the bottom...
293w total average suggests a 'perfect' effort (ie, 5x260w + 3x350w /8), and they looked a little like this:
#1 - 298w
#2 - 292w
#3 - 290w
#4 - 289w
Slacking a bit for the final one, but overall pretty happy with my first set for the season.
Sat, Aug 7 - CCC Dallas Drag!
Another awesome event from Capital City Cycles, it was a wet night (after a couple days of rain) but didn't actually rain. Rode the OBB ride in the morning, logged 1.75hrs there, went moderately hard...solo'd away from the pack, made it to the sprint point with lots of time to spare, so stopped and took pics of the rest of the 'sprint'...no one really very eager in the rain...haha
But the Dallas Drag was a hoot, about 20 peeps out, mostly fixies. Course started at the top of Beacon Hill, and then basically along Dallas and Beach Dr to the Gyro Park in the Caddy Bay village.
I was expecting an ITT, but turned out to be a mass-start event...wooot! I wasn't feeling terribly motivated, so this was prolly helpful for results...hehe..
We all took off, and after a minute a group of us formed along Dallas, strung out..sat in for a few mins, then got to the front and eased up the pace, pulling up by St Charles, and pulling off there. Halldor and Colin were still in contact, i got on the back..
On KGT (King George Terrace) Halldor hammered up (he was riding fixed). I wasn't too worried, i knew he'd lose speed on the descent so i just maintained a strong chase. Unfortunately Colin underestimated how hard we'd hit it, so he fell back..
Came down the other side, and caught Halldor fairly quickly, passed by and maintained a steady pace. Colin had just about bridged up, but we were heading up the hilly by the golf course, which is deceptively tough...not a lot of elevation, but long enough to make people suffer.
Halldor set the pace up the hill and Colin fell further back. We rolled along Beach Drive, exchanging pulls, keeping a nice steady pace. We were approaching the incline by Willow's, and i was contemplating making a move there....we got up the hill and decided to leave it for the final...i was feeling fairly good, but Halldor had lasted this long, so i would really have to hurt myself to get away, and then have to sustain that...hahaha
I figured early on the race would be won on the final, Uplands hill, if there were anyone still together....
Halldor pulled off for me to lead the beginning of the ascent. That made me a little nervous, i wouldn't be able to see him if he attacked... But given that he's riding a fixed, and pretty big gear at that, i eased up...harder to spin up a big gear like that. ;)
He didn't like that tho, and picked up the pace, expressing concern about Colin who was gaining on us.
The thing about the Uplands hill is that the incline isn't what gets you, it's the 250m or so at the top before the ascent...so i sat on Halldor's wheel and planned my move for that. He was really hoofing it at this point, 20 seconds above 500w. He would have to be a monster to be able to sustain that, so i just stayed on him....
At the top he pulled off, and i responded by maintaining that pace. I put it all on, averaging nearly 400w for a minute and a half, and pulling clear of Halldor and making some solid distance as i hit the final descent.
I looked back, and had 50m on him - woot!! Who loves what's essentially a sprint after a hard climb? =P
I eased off and was able to coast pretty much the rest of the way...
Entire effort was 22:21, averaged 276w (321NP), but i coasted the last minute plus. Up to then, i averaged 295w for 20mins, which is a new PB for me! (NP 327w.) Course was about 13.9km (just a hair longer than the OA-TT.) Less elevation on this one tho.
Halldor finished maybe 30 seconds off, and Colin, who worked his ass off all alone, was pretty close just behind him. Lot's of great efforts from the other fixies and riders, great to see peeps putting it out there!!
Looking forward to doing this again some time. =)
Tue, Aug 10 - OA-TT
Speaking of which, back at it! A little bit slower, but i was feeling fairly fatigued...
Anyway, here's the breakdown:
Effort #6, Aug 10rd
Section: #1 #2 #3 TOT
Time: 7:43 8:36 5:08 21:21
Watts: 290w 266w 279w 278w
HR: 174 182 184 180
RPM: 102 104 105 103
Spd: 38.1 38.4 40.1 38.8
I got really hung up at Corner #1, a truck towing a boat was turning right in front of me, had to slow down quite a bit... Scroll down to the last entry to compare my previous five efforts. HR was a LOT lower than the last few times...another sign of my fatigue. Watts were a bit lower, but again, i think i'm putting out more when needed, and easing off when not....NP was 291w, so where they ought to be.
Good efforts from other riders, nice to see Hugh out! Don set a new course record, down to 18:23... If this heat continues, it may fall again this Tuesday! Details here: http://bit.ly/oavic-tt
Sun, Aug 15th - SIMBS Poker Run
Rode the Russ Hayes ride on Thursday, decided i was a bit too tired to do intervals, and would just try and sit in... It was a slower ride overall, but still went harder than i would have liked...haha Sat planned the same thing, some big efforts around the airport and up Panorama, but managed to hang with the front. Eased off quite a bit after that.
Sunday rode out to the Dump with Chelsea and Halldor for the SIMBS Poker Run, a fun 'orienteering' type event where you ride to four different points at the Dump, and collect poker cards at each one, and then play at the end. Rode with Chelsea and Emily for this (Halldor wanted to hammer, and took off like a bullet!) We cruised and rode most of my regular route, getting cards along the way.
Got back, and had crappy cards, which worked out fine as i won 'Worst Hand', 9 high! hahaha
Fun day:
Lotsa riding this week, got my TSS a bit too high, so will suffer next week, methinks:
Ending Duration Distance Weight HR TSS kJ
15/08/2010 11:36:58 313.48 72.0 152 779 7164
Yerp...better off just edging over 700, not working my way through it...hehe..
So this week, OA-TT on Tue, more O/U intervals on Thu if feeling decent, easier OBB ride on Sat as i'm hoping to jump in on the Pro City Hurricane Ridge ride.....yip! Gotta get up that hill some time this year...
It's been a slow couple weeks since the last update..
Let's see:
Sun, Jul 25th - Windsor Park Crit
My favourite race course, but i was having an off day... Stuck with the pack for 10mins, but then got dropped...the surging was killing me. And we were averaging over 44kph. Hit over 800w nearly 30 times in that period. Gah.
Long story short, fell off, rode solo, caught another shelled rider, worked together, pack came around..lasted 6mins, again, jam after jam... The guys at the front were keeping up a punishing pace, and it was impossible for me to move further up in the pack at that point... Solo'd again, and then found Peter Lawless, we chased for a while, then the pack came back, but i couldn't even stick at that point, rode solo for the rest of the race. Luckily not a 'big' event, so i finished DFL, which i'll gladly take over DNF! 50mins of pain tho.
Kinda sucks, as i should have been in there...the lack of having a track is really cutting into my high-end. =(
The following week i took off completely, chilled, no riding except for some commuting. A bit of a 'reset' as i start my build for CX.
Sat, Jul 31st - OBB Ride
Plan was to take it easy. Didn't. First day back on the bike after 6 days off..silly me. Hung with the (big!) pack until Brentwood, and i was really starting to feel like crap, so dropped off. A small group of us rode tempo back into town, it was what i needed at that point.
Thought i'd hook up with this group, hoping they were going for an easier ride...and hadn't ridden the MTB for a while.
Fail.
Hammered out to Partridge Hills (up by Durrance Lake), the road aspect was fine as it was relatively steady, but i didn't really want to hammer in the trails....it seems these guys go at race pace once they're off-road! We enter in a spot i've never been - some sweet singletrack in there! (Check the map, you can go in and ride, there's only one trail.) My tech. skills were sucking, plus it's something i'm bad at: the loose dirt and crumbling wood/'sawdust'...so they were gone pretty quick. There was a hike-a-bike portion up to another road, and i just told them to go ahead. I didn't want to slow them down, and wasn't feeling like a hammerfest.
So i rode back the way i'd come, and really enjoyed the trail in there. Got back to the road, and headed further up to the 'back' entrance to Hartland, and climbed up the back side of the Regional Trail. Bombed down Who's Yer Daddy, went up Inventive, across to the far side of Rollie Ridge, and then cut back down, Skull Trail, over to Shock Treatment and then out Executive, and the road home.
Started rather unpleasant, but ended well-enough. =)
Here's the Garmin data:
Yip - nearly 750m of climbing...haha.. I guess there's a 'mountain' in mountain biking for a reason. ;)
Tue - OA TT
Yay - some more success!
Managed to shave ANOTHER 10 seconds off my previous times!! Down to about 21:18.
A few more peeps out this time, 7 in total. We timed the start pretty well, most of us finished in the same minute..haha..
Wattage much more accurate this time around, let's take a boo - weather conditions were great, btw, ~21C and a slight breeze (~3kph) that seemed mainly in my face on section #2:
Effort #5, Aug 3rd
Section: #1 #2 #3 TOT
Time: 7:42 8:31 5:08 21:18
Watts: 295w 278w 280w 285w
HR: 179 190 190 186
RPM: 100 102 103 102
Spd: 38.0 38.7 40.3 38.8
This reflects how i felt after the 2nd corner - really suffered around that portion... HR was quite high, and kept my cadence up too. Here's the others for comparison:
Effort #1, Apr 20th
Section: #1 #2 #3 TOT
Time: 8:30 9:10 4:56 22:36
Watts: 305w 267w 274w 283w
HR: 174 182 184 180
RPM: 97 97 99 97
Spd: 34.4 36.4 41.5 36.8
Effort #2, May 4th
Section: #1 #2 #3 TOT
Time: 8:24 9:01 5:08 22:32
Watts: 291w 278w 286w 285w
HR: 174 184 186 181
RPM: 99 99 102 100
Spd: 34.7 36.7 40.7 36.8
Effort #3, May 18th
Section: #1 #2 #3 TOT
Time: 8:36 8:57 4:56 22:28
Watts: 281w 270w 268w 274w
Est.Wts: 292w 281w 279w 286w
HR: 175 185 187 182
RPM: 101 102 103 102
Spd: 33.8 37.1 42.1 36.9
Effort #4, June 20th (watts kinda wacky)
Section: #1 #2 #3 TOT
Time: 8:12 8:49 4:53 21:55
Watts: 281w 260w 265w 269w
HR: 179 187 188 184
RPM: 99 103 107 103
Spd: 35.5 37.5 42.0 36.9
Wattage was a wee bit lower, although my NP was actually a bit higher, at 292w, and keep in mind that i coasted for a fair bit down a few of the hills....so those zeros bring it down quite a bit!
I crushed the first two portions, i had to double-check the first one! But i suffered for the effort at the end..
Gonna keep the TT's rolling each Tuesday until the end of August, check out http://bit.ly/oavic-tt for more details (and full results) if you'd like to join us!
Will likely take tomorrow off, and on Thu head up to the Ob for a return to the Over/Under intervals....yip!
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