Oh - hi! I didn't see you there!
First up is a little application of that "
20/20 Hindsight" thing... Looking back at the crit, i believe that although the 'yo-yo' effect near the back of the pack isn't as bad as it *could* be, it's still pretty bad, and i think the constant acceleration is what sucked the life out of me in the end. So, the lesson learned is the one everyone says:
stay near the front. Come the next crit, i will endeavor to get myself in the front. I will gun it off the start to be there, and hold-on for dear life. None of this 'i can get myself to the front' sillyness.
Also, some exciting news - my online vegan cycling friend Irene (aka Dagda!) is here in Victoria visiting for a couple months, and interning with several of the groups i help organize. It's cool to have her here, and i've had her out on the bike a bunch making her suffer. =)
The last week has been pretty easy; recovering from all my training, and getting ready to begin my new phase - back in my favorite - the Preparation Phase. Lot's of muscle-specific rides coming up, hills and tempo rides, woot!
Two events worth mentioning since the last entry.. Went to the Sydney TT last week,
finally got my new aero bars (Profile T2+) on - they're really comfy!!
Unfortunately, i'm having a devil of a time finding a spot for my Heart Rate Monitor where it both is visible, and picks up my heartrate! For some reason it wasn't picking up either on my wrist or on my stem when i'm stretched out...kinda frustrating. (
Actually, it *does* pick up, but only when it's on my wrist 'normally', so i need to twist my arm to see it....)
I'm gonna try a new position tonite...hopefully it's more favorable..
Anyway, this made for an exciting TT last week! Since i was essentially riding 'blind', i pretty much just gave 'er. My first lap was a blistering 12'51 - that time would get me under the 26min mark...if i could sustain it! Second lap hurt, and i finished with a 26'25.
A nice improvement, took 20 seconds off last week, but that means my second lap was 13'34 - an unacceptable split! Let's see if i can get myself down in the 26 second range tonite..
Last night was
Pursuit Night at the track (yay!), and Kevin was out to race - woohoo!! It's actually his first time doing a pursuit in 9yrs...and this former National-level rider has never had a time
above 5mins. Wow. (
Reminder: i'll be exstatic if i can get my time under 5'30 this year!)
So that added a second goal -
primary is to get my time under 5'50,
secondary is to stay ahead of Kevin!! He hasn't been training or even been able to ride a heck of a lot, so he wasn't going to be terribly close to 5mins...but i know the man is still very strong and quite capable of catching me...
It was still pretty warm, and i was cruising around the track at 40kph in my warm-up, and it felt nearly effortless, so things were looking good. My goal is to keep myself in the 42kph range for my effort...
We're both clipped in and held on opposit sides of the track...there's the countdown
RIDERS READY!...5..4..3..2..1..GO! And we're off... I roll off gently -- this isn't a kilo..heh.. I quickly pick up speed, look across the track, Kevin's started hard! He's already got 30m on me - eep!!
I decided to play it smooth and smart. I got my speed up to 43kph and settled in... (
Next time i'll get myself a little higher...still learning!) Kept my legs relatively relaxed for the first couple laps, try to minimize burning out my legs early-on... Kevin kept gaining...
I start to pick it up again, in and effort to slow down Kevin's approach...i'm feeling pretty good, and sustain my speed. Lap counter keeps going down...5...4...3 - 1 kilo to go...Kevin's about 30m behind me...crap!! I pick it up at that point, really start to work it. 1.5 laps to go, Kevin's bell goes off right as i ride by his lap counter..frack...he's got to be really close!!
I pile it on, and apply the thursters and pick up some more speed...i was back up at 43kph, and bring it up, close to 45kph....a lap later, i pass his counter again, and he didn't catch me - yeah!!! I keep it rolling, and i'm actually feeling pretty good at that point! I plow through, and accomplish my second goal!! Time:
5'48"94. KICK ASS!! That's 8 seconds away from my PB from last year, and i've still got three months left to take off 18 seconds to get where i want...woot!!
In this effort, looking at my lap times, i realize i could have gone harder overall in the effort...which is actually good news, as i'm still figuring out this event. Here are my lap times:
34.02, 28.48, 29.18, 28.16, 28.15, 28.78, 29.15, 28.69, 29.07, 28.74 and 27.36.
Having my last lap as my fastest is definitely an indication that i could go harder earlier... Next time, i'll pick up a bit more speed in the beginning, and try and keep it a little higher overall...i should be able to keep all my laps under 29 seconds. Interesting to compare this my last effort:
31.37, 27.67, 29.22, 29.94, 29.90, 29.96, 30.29, 30.56, 30.24, 30.07 and 29.67 - 5'58"71
It was a cooler night, but you can see how i went out way too hard for the first two laps...
As the title says -
Pursuits - Lovin' 'Em!!Kevin finished at 5'35, which still knocks my socks off...he would have averaged up around 44kph. I'm very thankful for his help on (and off) the track, and i'll have to keep chasing him. I'm sure he'll knock 15-20 seconds off this by the end of the year, which would actually leave him in a position to contend for a medal by
last year's Provincials results.
Irene also had an excellent first night, getting respectable 500m and 2k Pursuit times for a first-timer! It'll be fun to watch her get faster and faster through the summer. =)
Tonite is the Sydney TT, my mission tonite is to get my time as close to 26min as possible...gotta make sure my HRM is readable! I hope Irene can survive all the riding!! hehe..
Below are some photos from last nights Pursuits,
thanks to Roland for these great shots!!
Getting started..i'm still looking pretty relaxed...
Picking it up.....i look like i'm actually
going pretty fast! =)
Okay, you can see the expression of pain on my face.
Note to self: do up jersey zipper!!!
That probably added a second to my time!
This is actually a different shot than above,
but at least i'm consistant in my form!
I should make an animation with these. =)
(And don't forget Kevin is about a bike length behind me..eep!)
Speak of the devil! Kevin giving the smack-down on the track,
posting the fastest time of the year so far!
And here's Irene, tearing up the concrete! =)
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