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.
It's the first TrackFest event of the year. Once more, i'm wearing the hats of both the organizer and a competitor!
OrganicAthlete Victoria sponsored one of the three events, the OrganicAthlete Omnium. We contributed over $700 in prizes (thanks to Vega and Oak Bay Bikes!) and in our raffle we raised over $120 for the Save the Velodrome legal fund. I also ensured the food was vegan, with all vegan pizzas from The Joint!
Unfortunately, being the organizer compromised my performance, and for both the 200m and 500m i ended up in too light of a gear, so didn't ride as fast as i could have. Happier with my Pursuit, and pretty close to most of the other racers. Rode better in the Bunch races, and finished 11th over all (out of 12) but the gaps weren't that significant after Don and Scott, so a solid performance. =)
The Madisons fared better, i was teamed with Glenn and we were 'Team Organizers', and won the first event (3km Madison Pursuit), and finished 2nd overall. My madison racing has improved, and i took advantage of a few situations playing a pretty smart game. Looking forward to more of these!
In the Bunch Races i made some bigger moves as well, off the front a few times in the Points race, and a similar effort in the SuperSprint (25 laps, 10 go by, then a sprint every 3 laps to the end), got first place points on the first sprint riding solo off the front for several laps, but that was all i saw...i was a tire or two away from scoring in a few more sprints, but got nipped..it was a good, strong field. Still, that was my best non-Madison finish of the weekend in 7th.
OA did well, Gill once more put in a solid performance in the Omnium, edging our Laura Brown. Evan and Kevin had solid races, as did Emile -- great racing team!! =)
Sorry for the lack of communication, i've been uber-busy both organizing and racing at events!!
First up is the BC Track Provincial Championships! It was a small group of riders, my main threats being Julian Base from Whistler, and locals Bob Cameron and teammate Emile DeRosnay, racing over three days with the regular assortment of championship events.
Main highlights were medaling in four events: Madison, Kilo, Keirin and Omnium (which is a combination of five events: the 200m, kilo, pursuit, scratch and points races).
The Madison was especially cool, with Rachel Canning as my partner, we both rode our butts off, and she towed me along to earn a medal!
There we are in the midst of an exchange. Note that as she drops in, she'd be going about 30kph, and i'd be coming in below at about 50kph, and in the exchange i transfer my speed to her, and then slow up, and wait for her to pass again, and reverse the exchange, and then i'm back in for some action. =)
The Kilo was pretty straight-forward, rode a 1'17"86, which is a PB, behind Julian and Emile by about a second and a half, Emile took the gold, yay for getting OA on two Podium spots!
The Keirin was a hoot, i got into 2nd position, with a lap to go Julian sprinted off, i charged after, and was looking at Silver until Glenn edged up beside me, and snubbed me at the line!! Ahh well, i couldn't be beat by a better guy. =)
The Points race was a brutal affair, Julian, Emile and Mike Laxdal managed to break off the front and i got caught behind, and spent about 30 laps chasing with Glenn and Bob Cameron..Bob had cracked, and Glenn was doing very strong pulls, i was not too much of a hindrance, but we couldn't seem to close the gap...always about a 1/4 lap behind..they must have been trucking too..so frustrating!!
The Omnium worked out well for me, i got the 2nd fastest 200m time (12.818, another PB, not bad after two days of racing my butt off!), and finished 3rd in all the other events, for my final Bronze.
OA did well, Emile got a couple golds, Gillian put on some strong performances, winning several of the Women's events (tho her only competitor was Rachel, but she still rode well in the bunches in which she was placed). Jan Tize, a new OA Vic member, also put on a lot of strong performances, but crashed out with a broken collarbone. Kevin won the Citizen Omnium racing quite well at his first major track event!
A collection of photos from the event can be found here. Also, a funny random video i made based on an Oak Bay Bikes group ride:
So it was a couple weeks ago, a few of us trackies are cruising home after a night of speed (Don Gill, aka The Immortal, was out) on the Goose, and suddenly our little pack is overtaken by a couple dozen MTB riders - flyin' by!!
Unwilling to let the knobbies rule the trail, i jump in, and there's a bunch of familiar faces (hi Jon and Scotty!) As we're approaching the trestle bridge, Plaxton is up near the front with me, and he says 'hey vegan, how about a lead-out' pointing to the dude who had broken off the front.
I'm like 'sure', and i cruise over and start to build up the speed. I bridge to the dude, look back, and everyone's gone! Ha! I dropped Max Plaxton!! Booya!!
Actually, i don't know what happened, i've heard some excuses (Max was sick, Max is allergic to vegans, Max can't see the color green), but regardless i spun out his wheels! WOOT!
(Just kidding, i know i wouldn't have a snowballs chance in the suns corona in competing with that monster, still, an entertaining blog entry. =)
In other news, my sprint training is coming along nicely (i've mainly been working on my sprinting power the last few weeks, and for the next month), getting a bit more speed in the legs.. I'm also taking creatine now, to see if it can make any difference. It's apparently one of the few things the body doesn't really produce a lot of, and most people get it from eating flesh, so i've been deprived the last 17+yrs, so i've been adding 5g per day the last few days and will give it a month or two to see if i can get an extra kick.
In the Gear Report, i'm still love love LOVING my Argon18 track bike. Damn it's fine. I've got the Specialized Tritip saddle for it, and it is SUPER COMFY. It's got a nice padded nose, so sitting up there is totally fine (unlike the Toupe saddle, which is HARSH near the tip.)
I've also picked up a Specialized/HED3 trispoke front wheel that's a clincher, and using a (Immortal recommended) Veloflex Record tire, as it's got some of the lowest rolling resistance of any tire out there, and it feels quite fine.
On the road bike i'm using Maxxis Courcheval tires that have a cool strip of orange. They're quite comfy and feel very racy, and i'm pretty happy with 'em:
The OA Victoria racing team is doing very well. On the track, Emile and i are sitting in the top two positions overall, and are consistently the top finishers in races. In the Victoria Cycling League, we're also sitting comfortably near the top, tho my results are due mainly to track performances. ;)
Riders Kevin and Casey are riding well and finishing constantly in the Top 10 in the B races, as these guys learn to mix it up in their first seasons of road racing. Gillian is exceptionally strong, taking the 3/4 Women's events at Race the Ridge, winning all three stages (and as a Cat4 rider, now Cat3 of course!) Emile also finished well in this, with a highlight 6th in the TT, and 9th overall in the Men's Cat3 field. Sam Smith, triathlete, also took 80th (17th in his age group) at the Wildflower Ironman, fantastic effort there. =)
That's aboot it for now, this coming week is Omnium Week at the track, and i'll be going for the gold there. Monday is a Flying 200m, 500m ITT and 5k Scratch Race. Thursday will have the Pursuits and Points race - wish me luck!
This is the first event organized by our group, and i thought it was tremendous success! The only low point was that there were very few participants, but otherwise it went smashingly. You can read my event report here. (No, i didn't race it, since it was a duathlon! Dave don't run. Or dance.) I did MC the event, which was pretty fun. There are also photos of the event from the first link.
Sunday had a race on my favorite crit course, OBB organized another Windsor Park crit. Can it be more perfect? It's just a few blocks from my house, has wonderful corners which you can generally pedal through, and is PANCAKE FLAT! Love it!!!
I hadn't ridden at all Saturday, so i wasn't feeling particularly spicy, but i got in with the A's, and rode a strong race. Sat in most of the time, about 20mins to go, there were some big attacks, and at the time i was a bit further back in the pack, so had to do some work to keep it together, and i stayed in. Felt good and strong, tho after that bigger efforts reminded me my breakfast was still in my stomach (why was the race so early!!)
I felt quite confident in the bunch, had no problems keeping whatever wheel i wanted, or taking a wheel. I guess those Keirins have helped in this respect. ;)
I was near the front almost the entire race - it's where i'd go if i were feeling tired, since there's very little yo-yoing there. I positioned myself well with 4 laps to go. With 2 to go, Emile shot off, and i smiled. I turned to Bob Cameron and said 'hey, he rode a 5'06 4km Pursuit yesterday', Bob cursed and picked up the pace. ;)
Emile thought he'd won the race, but we both missed that two riders (Hugh and Alistar) had snuck away when we were further back, and they were goooone. Still, a valiant effort on his part to get away and stay away. I finished 9th in the charging pack, sitting in and not sprinting, and 12th in the end. I believe there were close to 20 starters.
In the B race, Kevin and Gillian (OA Vic's newest racer!) rode very well! Last year Kevin had a very hard time with this course, but was totally in the pack this year. Same with Gill. They both finished strong, 5th for Gill and 7th for Kevin. (Technically 1st for Gill in the Women's field, and 6th for Kevin.) Nice riding!!
Hugh has a nice account of the race from the front. I should mention Don Gillmore started the race, but about halfway though had a technical with his chain. Needless to say, after this warm-up, he destroyed the competition in the BC Masters race in the afternoon.
Three days and four sessions, with about 12 races total, and almost all were Madisons. I paired up with Victoria OA teammate Emile, who was pretty new to Madisons, let alone racing in Burnaby. Needless to say, the first night was pretty rough, and tho both of us were as fit as anyone else there, a series of missed exchanges and other mishaps resulted in us being about 9 laps down the first night.
However, as the weekend progressed, we improved our team skills, and finished 14 laps down from the leaders (2nd was 4 laps, 3rd was 5 laps, and the next two teams 6 laps down) so had we the practice we have now, we would have been competitive.
As a testament of our strengths, there were two 'individual' events, a Madison Flying 200m where we got 3rd or 4th, and a Handicap Scratch race, where Emile nipped me at the line, but we finished 3rd and 4th.
There were two individual bunch races, a Scratch where i finished 11th (i forget where Emile was, but in the Top 5 i believe), and a Miss'n'Out where i dropped out first, E finished around 7th i believe. I chose to slack in the M'nO thinking there was a Points race, but it got dropped from the schedule. =(
I was pretty choked by the lack of individual events, in hindsight i would have chosen to race as a 'B' instead -- they had mostly bunch races, and they were very exciting, and a fast field with the top Juniors and Women in Canada. Not to mention they got to race twice as much, since they had qualifiers for each event due to huge numbers.
It was cool to see all my Burnaby pals, and meet some of the Ontario folks - it looks like track new-comer Lisa Perlmutter is going to be a very strong track racer, some suggested a la Gina Grain. (No pressure!)
Also have more RideCam shots (up to 16!) - click here for local action.
A quick note on my Argon18 track bike: LOVE IT!!! It fits me SO WELL, and feels solid and fast, i'm totally stoked to be riding it, i couldn't be happier.
Hey there sports fans, been busy in weekly racing and training, but my season is progressing quite nicely, you can read some of my race reports here on the OA blog. Locally, finishing consistently at the top, a couple weeks ago Emile and i played the field, finishing 1st & 2nd respectively. Last night at the VCL Points Race, we couldn't keep the speedy Bob Cameron down, but at least finished 2nd & 3rd. In the league scoring, this puts us in 3rd & 5th overall in the Victoria Cycling League, and 1st & 3rd on the track - woot!
Today i'm off to Burnaby for a huge suffer-fest. I'm still a month away from being in full race mode, so this'll be a good kick in the pants. Emile and i will be racing in the Madisons, and there are 14 races in four sessions over three days...this is gonna be intense.
I'll try and get some race reports up while i'm there, more soon!
The race season begun on the island on Sunday, with a jaunt along Caleb Pike, a hilly 2km circuit RR. My specialty..haha
My course description: It starts on a relative flat, with a bit of a false ascent, then a short little glide uphill, into a right corner which begins to go downhill, then full-on downhill, and then full-on uphill, where you can coast/soft-pedal about 2/3rds of the way up, and then generally get out of the saddle to get to the top of. Then it flattens a little bit, and another short ascent, then downhill directly into the other right turn, which brings you back to where this started.
I decided to race A, to try and capture some Victoria Cycling League points (they'll be including track races each month again this year, yay!) despite having done no intensity, and sucking at climbing. ;)
It started out pretty reasonable, with nine of us. I hung in for the first few laps, but the resistance from my fenders (the weather was pretty crappy when we left home, and i still wasn't even sure i wanted to race, but got decent by the time the race started) and the lack of going anywhere near my 'red line' in my training this year so far made keeping up on the climbs a challenge for me, so around lap five i started to fall off the back of the pack.
And it ended up with me riding solo for pretty much the rest of the race...by the time the pack caught me again, i tagged in for a lap, but was a bit drained from having ridden solo for so long. The next time they'd all busted into a few pairs.. I was lapped by the two leaders three times, and the rest two times...better than last year! Though in some ways last year was better, having Wendy Simms to ride and work with for several laps...ahh well.
Another mistake was not bringing any food. I'd assumed this was the 'regular' distance, which took about 45mins to complete, but this was the 'Sunday' edition, and i was out for 1hr 50mins..!! Without any food or energy drink, with about 20mins to go, i was on the verge of bonking... Thanks to Nick from AviaWest for handing me my energy drink, and to Kevin for the gel near the end. =)
So i finished 6th of 6, three A's had DNF'd. A good start to the season..heh.. Here's my PowerTap output, you can see i held a pretty steady effort until the last six or so laps...bleh...
Click on the image to view a larger version.. I did manage to tie or break my wattage PB's by a few points in the 120min, 60min and 30min ranges, so i'm in good form overall, once i start picking up the intensity, i should be looking good!
This was also the first race of the year for Marty and Kevin, and it's great to have a team out representing! In the B's, Kevin finished 8th, and Marty was about 11th - great work guys!! It was really encouraging to see more green on the roads. =)
Sorry for the long delay, below is my account of my adventures in CA with the OA crew!
Start: Victoria to Portland
It's Sunday, Feb 17th, bright and early we (being Tasha, Kevin, Marty and myself) load up Marty's cool Mitsubishi Delica, and head down to the Port Angeles ferry. Having friends and a place to crash in Portland, we decided we'd make that our half-way point.
While there was a fair bit of waiting, getting to the ferry early, and of course riding on the ferry, we found ourselves in a fairly warm and sunny Portland by late afternoon. Thanks to Robert Cheeke for letting us crash at his place!
We met up with our friend Jessi and went to the Blossoming Lotus for dinner.
That's Jessi, Marty, Tasha, me and Kevin. The food was very good, tho the chili i had was a bit too spicey!
Portland to Sebastapol, CA
Unfortunately we found that we had a flat, a long spike had gotten into our tire! So the next day before heading for CA we had to go to a tire shop.
Here we are outside the tire place, which ironically...
..was called Jim Bacon's...hehe..
There were some amazing views on the way as well.
After a long (13hr) drive, we finally made it, and were welcomed by Mark who put us up for the night, thanks Mark!!
Sebastapol to Windsor
Today the plan was to ride out and check out some of the Tour of California, Kevin and i were keen, but Tasha and Marty didn't seem to want to head out. Did i mention it was cold and rainy? Nooo!
We met at Bradley's shop at 8am (yes, we got about 5hrs sleep), and rode out to Trinity Rd, which is a pretty nasty hill, to catch part of the ToC:
There they go! It was amazing to see, tho it took all of about 20 seconds. Much longer for the procession of cars and motor bikes both before and after..holy cow...!
We rode back into town, and that evening packed up and went to the 'resort' where we'd be staying, and settled in. It was pretty deluxe, and we shared a bit 3bdrm suite with Sami Fornier and John from Bend, OR. That evening we also met the Portland crew, who are a cool bunch of people.
OA Training Camp Day 1
We woke up to...sun!! This was the best weather we experienced the whole trip..!
We met for the day's ride, and it was incredible to have over 20 other OA kits standing around, waiting to go.
It was a pretty nice ride and route, out in the country around Windsor, and mostly flat! There were a few sprints, and i maintained my King of the Overpass title. ;)
Yay! Sun! (I included more pics originally, but as i was editing the code, some got munched, and i'm too tired now to re-enter them...but there's lots more here!)
OA Training Camp Day 2
Back to the cold and rain...
This day was miserable...and to top it off, we had to stop for 45 mins for a flat from hell....! During that time, Marty tells me he rode an additional 15km, trying to stay warm...nuts!
So we rode out to a point and that was where some of the nutters wanted to go and ride longer, including hills...but the rest of us joined team 'Screw You Guys, I'm Going Home' and headed back.
Molly Cameron and i pulled our crew back into town. (And another flat or two. There's SO MUCH crap on the roads in CA!!)
A funny account: Molly and i are puttering along, and Molly pulls ahead a few inches and looks back at me, water flying off helmet splashing me... I look at Molly, and flick my head splashing water back...Molly stays ahead...and after a few more moments says 'that was quite the sprint, 270 watts!'
Turns out there was a city limits sign there...hahahaha.. Yep, some sprint! =P
Team 'Screw You Guys I'm Going Home' pulls into the resort, very wet. I volunteered our room to do the dinner that night, and we made an assortment of raw and cooked foods under the guidance of Kevin and Sami, it was well-received!
Oh yeah, and i mentioned Marty went on the longer climb, it was quite a while after before they returned:
OA Training Camp Day 3
This was the best ride of the trip!
When we started, we got a sprinkled on a bit:
..but it let off.
We rode for a couple hours, then hit the split-off point. There was Team A, and Team A Minus. Team A would do LOTS of climbing, and Team A Minus would do about 2000', which is quite a bit for us Victoria folk. Marty and Kevin stuck with me in Team A Minus. ;)
It was a pretty cool climb, lots of steep sections, and i felt solid. Getting to the first summit, i was 2nd in our group, behind Casey, who's a climbing machine. Second summit had Casey and Manny finishing ahead of me, Manny was also very stong on the hills. Both are from Portland.
Here we are at the 2nd summit:
The ride back into town was spectacular, along the water.. We came down the road on the hill:
Wonderful day of riding, best day there for sure.
That evening, after dinner, i gave a little presentation on veganism to the group, discussing how it began with Donald Watson in 1944, and how veganism isn't really a diet or lifestyle, but a philosophy, or perspective on life, advocating peace and respect.
OA Training Camp Day 4
This was quite a day. I woke up feeling like CRAP! I'd gotten some of whatever illness had been floating around (thanks Oregon riders!! ;) and the weather had turned to crap again. It was even more cold and rainy than a couple days ago, and could compete with some of the gross days we experience in Victoria. This is supposed to be California!! Oh, and it was my 32nd birthday as well. =)
The plan today was to ride to the shop, those who were keen would ride off to do more gnarly climbing, and the rest would head back to the resort. Of course, about 30mins in, there was a flat:
Not much else to report that day, besides another flat or two..we made it home, i chilled out, feeling progressively worse. That evening after dinner they had a delicious chocolate cake for Cat and me (hi Cat!!) That was really awesome. =)
I went to bed with chills and sweats...gross......
OA Training Camp Day 5, Drive to Ashland
The original plan was to ride to the shop, and then get photos, but the weather was so crappy we mostly drove, and then had the photo shoot.
I was feeling pretty awful, but tried to hold it in. My nose had gone ballistic, running like a faucet. Yum.
After the photos, we went for a final group dinner at a local vegetarian joint, and said our goodbyes..it was sad to leave, it was so inspiring to be around so many awesome vegan people...maybe the OA chapter here in Victoria will get this big some day!!
We had originally planned to spend the night in Sebastapol, and then drive to Portland, but figured it was better to break all the driving into three days (instead of two), and so decided to drive until late, and stop at a motel. It was something like Ashland that we stopped, and crashed at a motel. My memory is pretty hazy, and i was drifting out of consciousness the entire time.
I haven't had an illness like this in a while, here were my symptoms:
* nausea * head cold * runny nose * sore throat * cough * very weak, barely walk * very achy joints * chills/sweats * eyeballs were sore! Could barely look anywhere but straight! * zero appetite
There were prolly a few more too, but i had these ALL AT ONCE. Simply awful. I'm guessing i had a fully on flu/influenza. It took well over a week to get back to semi-normal, and even as i'm writing this several weeks later, i can still feel a few remnants of this beast..bleh..
Ashland to Portland
We got up, hopped in the Delica, and were off! (I was still feeling like crap, and was the rest of the trip, but i won't bother bringing it up any more!)
It was another pretty drive, and was greeted by Robert in Portland, he was away when we came through earlier, but was there this time, nice to see him!
We settled in for a bit, and then went out for dinner...memory fails *where*...but i had a smoothie and it went down well. Jessi also joined us, as well as some of the other Portland locals, some of whom i know from message boards.
Portland to Victoria
The next day we went out to the Vegan Plaza, where there are a few vegan shops all lined up, including Herbivore and Food Fight - here i am with one of the legendary BIG containers of Earth Balance:
I picked up a few treats, tho i should have gotten more, i wasn't thinking very straight. =(
Liz Lovely cookies are my favorite...mmmmmm....
Here's a shot of the new OA kit:
Pretty sharp!!! And now there are nine of us sporting these around town, how cool is that? Woohoo!
So, that's the trip, no doubt i missed a million details, but it was really fun hanging out with the Victoria crew this much, and so great to finally meet so many other OAers whom i've been in email contact for years in some cases, but to finally meet in person. And finally, thanks to Bradley for organizing this, and bringing us all together under an amazing organization. Hurray for OrganicAthlete. =)
(And if interested, my full photo album of the trip can be found here.)
I'll be leaving tomorrow (Sunday) first for a stopover in Portland, and then off on Monday to California, near Santa Cruz for the week-long OrganicAthlete training camp - woohoo! About 30 vegan bike racers (including Marty, Tasha and Kevin from here) will be converging on a lovely resort (yes, resort! We've got connections apparently!) to make Dave Noisy suffer on all the hills. Yes, i'm looking forward to riding in 5-10C warmer weather, but i'm scared of all the hills. And the distance...the 'A' group will be doing 100 miles many days... 100km is 'easy' for me, i do it a few times a week, but 100 miles is about 160km...eeep! I'll likely swing down for a few B rides. ;)
A few topics worth updating:
Training
Still have been out 4x a week, finished my MT (MuscleTension) intervals on the Observatory a few weeks ago, the final week with two efforts of 8 x 8:45 was *brutal* but i did it!!! I took a week of just straight-up riding, and then moved onto Tempo intervals, which in the CTS system is an intensity slightly higher than EM (regular 'miles'), but at 70rpm, so for me, i'm holding ~240w. And the intervals started at 30min for me, and last Thursday i did a 55min effort...ouch. That's two solid weeks of Tempo intervals, toughening up my legs, woot! Now i'm off to CA, will get thoroughly trashed, and then chill for a week when i get back, and do another 3 weeks of Tempo's, and then head to the track and begin my sprint training, and getting back my anaerobic strength. =)
Speaking of which, while i'm very comfortable with anything under 300w, anything over 500w spells nearly instant death for me...haha.. I've been joking that my fast-twitch muscles are still on holiday, my sprint is about 10 seconds long, and then i FADE. My lead-out is really solid tho! =P
I've gotten a bunch of new PB's in the wattage department, on both ends of the spectrum, at 5sec and 120min. That's pretty satisfying.
Winter Bike
I've been riding my winter bike exclusively, tho it's been decent enough to break out the summer bike. I'm really comfy on my Salsa! I'm actually taking it to CA as well, since i haven't been on the road bike, and it fits a bit differently...would likely be kinda dumb to just jump on it for massive efforts after such a long break.
Speaking of brakes, finally got the disk brake wheel built up, got a nice Mavic Open Pro built to a WTB Laser hub with Revolution DT aluminium spokes - perfect training wheel. I'll get something a bit more fancy for cross-racing come the fall.
Other Gear
I've got some more lofty goal purchases for the spring.. First up is a PowerTap for the track bike, looking to get one built to something like a HED Stinger90, 90mm deep carbon rim...getting wattage will be really helpful on the track.
After that i'll be getting a new track frame (sorry Kona!) The most promising is the Argon18 Electron track frame...it's got just about everything i'm looking for: aero tubing and cutout seatpost, similar geometry to my Kona, stiff, and a neutral paint job! Would be more cool if it were green or orange, but hey..
In there somewhere i'll also be nabbing an HED3 tri-spoke for the front. Interesting note: i'm going to go with clinchers instead of tubulars. You can get several tires with better rolling resistance, which means more speed for less watts. I'll take it! The downside is a bit more risky if i get a flat, then again, it's an easy fix if i do flat. =P
I'm also considering a new road frame, we'll see how finances deal with this so far. ;)
Climbing
I mentioned in my last personal update that i've been rock climbing at the climbing gym Crag X - i've been going 3x a week, and still am LOVING IT!! My vegan climbing buds Kelly and Ian are inspiring to climb with, and i've been progressing nicely. All the 5.9's are a cinch, as are several of the 10a's. There's one that i say *isn't* a 10a...nasty bugger, none of us can get more than 1/3rd of the way up.
We've been plugging away at 10b's, and a few 10c's now. There's a new 10b route that we all completed...we're thinking it's a bit too easy.. Surprised with the strength and endurance of my hand and arms now..the callouses are insane. The week off ought to be good tho, i've been getting pretty fatigued with all the climbing and riding...!!
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A'ight, that's prolly enough for now, gotta finish getting ready, and get some sleep too!
I'll try and update my blog as much as possible, and include photos! Below is my RideCam #12 album, with shots of various rides and climbs over the last month!
I usually don't discuss cycling politics too much, but today CyclingNews released their 2007 Male Pro Road rider of the year results (as voted by readers), and it's a stark difference from 2006.
It's pretty dismal. The top ten of 2006 is basically a who's-who of dopers. Surreal to see all those famous names gone.
Of the carry-overs into 2007, Fabian Cancellara placed highest in 2006 at 9th, and finished 2nd this year. Only Leipheimer and O'Grady carried over to 2007 (from the bottom of the 2006 list), the rest are 'new' on the list (congrats to Cadel Evans for making the #1 spot.)
It's interesting that cycling is where the doping focus is, in professional sports. I'm not sure why that is, i can only imagine how much worse it is in football, baseball and hockey.
In a way, i'm glad that 'my' sport is getting cleaned up at least. There'll still be problems, of course, but it's becoming clear that riding clean is the way to go in cycling now. That's a lot more than we can say about other sports.
Hey there sports fans, it's been a bit slow on the posting front, but i'm alive and well!
After the last BC Cup, i took a few weeks off the bike (pretty much completely, and a nightmare 'adventure' to Oakland, CA), then started to get back into training mode. Come December, i'm back to doing my Muscle Tension intervals (50rpm, uphill, started with 5x5min, work up every session.) Marty's been joining me, as did Kevin until he grew up and got a job. ;)
We got in a couple weeks before xmas, then took a week and a half off, and are back at it for another three weeks, Thursday we'll be doing 6x8mins repeats. Really starting to feel it in my legs, which appear to be putting on some mass again...!
The long-term forecast will be to switch over to CTS Tempo intervals (30+ mins riding 70rpm) to further build muscle strength and endurance. Then, in late Feb is the OrganicAthlete training camp in California, and a bunch of us will be heading down -- ROAD TRIP!
I've also been back to the gym, mainly working out my upper-body to balance things out a wee bit. Mainly focusing on core, chest and back. I'm surprised at how quickly strength returns, i'm practically back where i left off last year.. Also throwing in the occasion high-rep squat session. That does something awful to the legs..tho the next day, when i'm on the bike, it seemed like it really only 'hits' muscles i use while out of the saddle sprinting, so i have to question how useful squats are for me, at the moment...they don't seem specific enough...but i don't know, i'm certainly no expert!
I've also been doing weekly climbing sessions at the local gym, Crag X. We've got a little OA crew that's turning up (Ian, Tashie and Marty), more photos here.
Last week did a marathon 2.5hr session with my main climbing mate Ian, tried the 5.9 overhang, but only made it 2/3rds of the way up, my grip just isn't up to the job yet.... Still, did a bunch of straight-up 5.9's and 5.8's with relative ease. I'm liking the climbing. Ian did a great job battling up a 10a overhang..holy crap it looked tough!
Other than that, not too much exciting going on. I've been experimenting with a 'low protein diet', literally trying to cut out bigger sources of protein, and sticking to my whole foods diet, and it's been going remarkably well! I've been reading up on the issue, and i'm pretty confident that we need very little protein. Certainly not more than 1g/kg, and likely half that. I'm writing an article on it, and will post it in detail when published.
On the supplements front, i've switched things up a bit. I'm totally off Vega now -- i just don't need the protein!! I'm using two of the main ingredients independently however: maca and chlorella. I'm also still taking cordyceps and have added in Siberian ginseng. I'm feeling this to be a good mix, i've been on these for perhaps three months now.
Got some more pics to post, one set from a hike, and another Ride Cam. I've also picked up a new camera, an Olympus Stylus 790SW. It's a small unit, 7.1 mega-pixels, and is shock and waterproof, which is perfect for toting in my jersey pocket. Don't have to worry about all the sweat ruining it. (YUM!) I've also been quite happy with the photographs it's been taking, and remarkably long battery life. Oh, and it comes in orange..haha!
I don't think it's been quite as rainy as last year, thank goodness, but most days have to bring along the rain jacket.. This is out on an OBB group ride.
Zoiks Scooby, it's been a while again since this has been updated!
Cyclocross
'Cross ended for me on Nov 4th, in Nanaimo, which had yet another technically demanding course...i'd really like to try a 'fast' course some time. ;)
Once again, i finished 16th. That makes 16th in 3 of 3 'cross races..hahaha! I felt good the first three or four laps, then faded as usual... Roland and Marty got around me then, and finished a couple places ahead of me (great racing guys!)
And that officially ended my 'cross season, and i've installed fenders on the Salsa, and am ready for the rain!!
Final BC Cup Event (Nov 9-11)
It was a long time waiting, but this was the conclusion of my racing season...i had no idea what was in my legs, since i hadn't raced on the track for two months, but in the weeks leading up Marty and i had some excellent training sessions, and my PowerTap told me that my sprint was just as strong as it had been in the summer....so there was 'something'.
The competition for the event was STRONG, which left me, frankly speaking, scared. Heavyweights like Kenny Williams and Kirk O'Bee, as well as Daniel Harm and the regular cast of Burnaby speedsters like Matt Chater, Chris Reid, Jon Gormic and Jeff Ain meant that there'd be a relentless barrage of attacks...and there were.
I can't recount details from too many events this far after the racing, but i do recall the Tempo race averaging ~56kph for the first 5mins. Completely insane speeds. I think i was lapped twice that race (along with most of the pack), tho most of the time i hung in with the bunch, while Williams, O'Bee and company rode circles around us. It was amazing to ride with these guys (and hang in for the most part!) Kenny was quite nice, and gave me some compliments, which was pretty darn cool.
In the end, i managed to stay close enough (or ahead of) both Chris and Julian, and held onto my 2nd overall position in the Track BC Cup - yay me! Big up to Matt Chater, who rode strong as ever, especially in the sprints. All the best with the Omnium focus, i think you'll find much success there, being so strong in all those areas. I'll be sticking to your wheel in these events. ;)
Marty was out as well, racing in the B category, and in the Madison(less) section, took the overall victory! Nicely done!
We also got 5th as Team Green Bean in the Team Sprint, inviting Burnaby vegan rider Brandon Edwards to join us, and gave it a good spin. Thanks to all the folks in Burnaby for organizing another excellent event. =)
2007 Conclusion
It was a fun and very successful race season for me, i'm very happy with how i rode, and where i got to. Biggest improvements were in my bunch racing, where i've learned to ride smarter, as well as be willing to take chances and attack, etc.. In the local weekly league, i finished 2nd (congrats Cooper for beating me!), although my goal wasn't to win, but to practice strategies and attacking, etc.. I think i learned a lot, and it all was a big boost to my confidence.
My pursuiting also improved significantly, taking over 10 seconds off my local PB from last year, riding a 5'26 at Provincials (i think i could have ridden a 5'23 had my start been a bit more smart..) I don't see why i can't get that under 5'20 for 2008.
TT riding was a bit of a write-off, not even matching my best time from last year, tho i think i was cursed with very little traffic and cold nights on all my attempts. ;)
'Cross was a hoot, and i'm looking forward to finishing closer to 12th each event next year...haha
The Future
I've taken a couple weeks off since Burnaby (including some time in San Francisco, the hills near Oakland were quite nice to ride, it was great to ride with OA teammate Emily Thurston as well, thanks for the loaner!), and am itching to get back into the swing of things. I'll prolly ride not-too-hard over the next week or two, and then it'll be back to the hills, and lots of muscle-tension repeats, in an effort to create even stronger legs for 2008.. I'm going to focus less on the Pursuit, and a bit more on sprints, to become an even strong Points/bunch racer. I think this year i proved to myself that my strengths aren't quite so much in my aerobic efforts, so much as anaerobic/recovery, and will push these areas even more... I'd like to get a bit stronger as well, and get my 200m down under 12'5... I think it's totally do-able (i'm already capable of sub 13's), so mainly just gotta do it. ;)
Will compose a more formal list of goals for 2008, but that's pretty good for now!
Hey everyone, it's been a while since i've updated, but lots has been going on, mainly, it's 'Cross Season! And that means more suffering for me. I feel like where i was 3yrs ago when i started track racing... All the guys i have no prob keeping up with on the track are booting me in the hiney on the 'cross scene, pretty funny.
You see, i'm a very conditioned athlete - i do high cadence and low-torque very well. Put me in a situation after doing that for 8 months where it's the opposite - low cadence and high-torque, stop-and-go, and you've got a world of hurt for The Shish. But ahh well, it's all for fun!!
The ultimate worst for me are long stairs or run-ups...i practically come to a standstill on those areas. Otherwise, i'm fairly well skilled, my barrier-hopping is pretty solid, as are mounts and dismounts. The other tough area is cornering on grass, but i think the used tires i bought are too worn, and so we'll see how this changes when the Block 8's i ordered arrive.......
I'm LOVING my Salsa Chili Con Crosso. It rides like a dream, super comfortable, looks awesome and fits me great. I can hardly wait to take off the 'cross tires and winterize it, and await the rain....this will be excellent motivation for the crappy days. After a month and a half riding it, it was nice to hop back on the Argon18 too tho...i'm liking my bikes. =)
Below are my latest race reports, and i'm also excited to have finally met Christine 'Peanut' Vardaros in person, after a million years of emailing! This was at the San Francisco Vegetarian Festival, and she at Art Eggersten shared an excellent presentation.
Art is brilliant, he's a coach of professional and olympic-level athletes and specializes in whole-foods vegan nutrition, and is one of the few people you'll encounter who will tell you that most people are getting WAY too much protein. He advocates something like 0.384 grams per kg of lean body mass per day. That puts me under 30 grams a day - i'm trying it out, and so far so good the last few weeks. Art's food blog is here.
The gist of this is that most people are suffering from acidosis, their body remains in an acidic state, which inhibits recovery and leads to long-term problems like osteoporosis. By focusing on whole foods (ie, raw or steamed veggies, fruits, grains) this state is avoided almost completely, allowing for much faster recovery, and a much higher density of nutrition than processed foods can offer. I've been leaning this way, and am finding it to be favorable. I feel *much* better after a hard training ride after eating a bunch of greens and some grains, than if i were to eat something more traditional like pasta. It's really noticeable. His ProBar is also pretty damn tasty, not available in Canada unfortunately!!
Here's Christine and i from the SF Veg Vest, Blue Steel!! Follow along in her blog as this vegan is tearing it up at the World Cup cyclocross series.
Awesome course, i felt totally at home, as 333m of each course was around my turf, the velodrome! The rest of the course wove around the Juan de Fuca center, including over the BMX course. Go motto or go home!
I've been stricken with a lingering cold since SF (too many planes and people!), and so wasn't on my best game, but got a good start position, and stuck with the front group for the first lap, then faded in the following laps, finishing ~16th (out of around 25 starts in Intermediate.) Worst part for me was the run-up, best part were the long and flat sections, like the velodrome. =)
I was given'er tho, my average HR over nearly 50mins was 186bpm. Zoiks Scooby! I wonder if maybe i'm going *too* hard, and if i backed off a bit if i'd do better...?
I wasn't quite as fond of this course, tho there were a few really neat elements, like a huge mud pit, and a sand pit you'd hit 90 degrees off a big fast straight-away which i thought i'd die in each lap! The big sandy run-across was a nightmare, filling cleats with sand, and all the grassy corner wreaked havoc on me.. Once more finished 16th with ~23 starters in the Intermediate category.
There's also been an underground Wed series, which has been a hoot, thanks to the peeps for organizing these, much appreciated!! There were pretty big turnouts, upwards of 40 i'd say.
Two more ridecams have been posted, shots as i'm out and about, including a bunch from SF, and the Wed 'cross races.
I'm also happy to announce that OA Victoria has expanded, and i've got two teammates for the 2008 season on the road, track and 'cross, my pals Emile and Marty! Look out, as we'll be tearing up the track scene. =)
Lots more pics of them in the galleries as well. I'm excited to have teammates, after racing solo for more than 2yrs! OA Vic is expanding as well, we're up to 15 members, most are triathletes, but some are getting lured to the road and track as well. ;)
Two races remain this year, the 3rd 'Cross on the Rocks event in Nanaimo on Nov 4th, and the fifth and final Track BC Cup in Burnaby on the Nov 11th weekend, where i'll be defending my 2nd place standing in the series. Matt Chater should be declared the champ, no way anyone is going to catch him, fantastic racing buddy!!
After that, i finally get to rest for a bit...phew!!
Yay, i survived last weekend!! Two days of hell, one great day, how's that for racing?
Friday
Last Friday night was the inaugural Bear Mountain Hill Climb. 3km of 'up'. Not terribly steep, except for a few portions. Fastest guy (Marcel Arden i believe) did it in 7:47. Helps being 135lbs i bet. ;)
Me, i slogged it off in 10:28. Beefcake!! Strange for me, since i can do 3km on the flats in 4mins..haha..
I'm not a hill climber. At least i did it faster than my fellow trackies..tee hee!! I was happy to have some team mates tho, both Kevin and Casey were out, and rode impressive times!!
One good thing is that i got a new 10min power PB, held 330w, previous was 313w. Here's the file:
Pretty steady. I was careful, knowing that just over 300w was all i could handle, so didn't go out hard at all. I'm not sure if i could have held much more than that. I remained seated for all but the final steep climb to the line...i'm curious if i would have done significantly better if i stood on either of the other steep bits...or would i have just leached it from my final effort..?
Saturday
This morning was the Oak Bay Crit, i raced in the huge B field, with ~45 starters, from Cat 3 to Cat 5 and unlicensed. I really love this course, it's pancake flat!!
I made a few strong attacks early on, but no one came along, and being full aware that i'm no TT rider, i didn't opt to ride solo. ;)
Finished 6th after Brad Smith (who's raced on the track!) launched off the front early, and stayed away. I was just a few inches away from 5th. Casey and Kevin didn't fare as well, but for Kevin, it was his first time racing in a bunch, so it was quite different for him. He'll do a lot better next year i'm sure!
Here's my power file for this event, i wasn't at all over-extended at any point, which was good for the confidence:
It was feared the Bastion Square crit would be rainy, and it was. Normally, i'd opt to sit out, but figured 'what the hell'. I hadn't raced in the rain before, and i doubt i will again. =P
In the Cat 4 race, about 18 riders started. The course was awful. All four corners had numerous spots where you could slip or slide out...but crash corner (Yates & Wharf) was the worst. There was a crash about 9 laps in, and a few of us sped by. Then i got on the front, took us around crash corner, and ZIP! My wheel goes out (rear i think), and down i go. Luckily, not too hard.
I'm back on my feet as the last rider zips by, and i get back on and start to chase....i'm ~20' back..bleh.. Whoever is at the front is keeping up the pace, and from this point i continue to lose ground. Crap.
So, i chase for about 25 laps, fun race. Mike Elkink (who also races at the track!) was the clear winner, nearly lapping the field (i'm pretty sure he could have, but stayed just behind the pack to avoid any crashes), caught me with about 15 to go, and i sat on his wheel for several laps..i was kind tired from chasing for so long, so didn't hold on too long. He was also a superior rider in the corners, and despite trying to follow his line, my tires were doing whatever it was his were, so i lost time each lap, and eventually he was gone.
Shortly after that, i caught Chris A, and with a few laps remaining, caught another rider.... Near the end, i come around the corner to the finish line, and everyone is staring! They're all waiting for Mike - so i take my moment, and blow everyone kisses:
hahaha... Although i didn't win the race, i certainly won the hearts of the spectators...hahahha
I'm currently listed as finishing 10th, but i believe they've made a mistake (and at least one has already been admitted), and i *believe* i may have actually finished 8th, but 9th for sure. 10 or 11 finished.
I learned shortly after finishing that when you crash in a crit, you're supposed to go to the pit, where they ensure your bike is safe, and then push you back into the pack (again, where i was sitting at the front). I'm not sure if i'd really want to be back in the pack tho, riding solo in the rain is bad enough, having a wheel splashing you in the face for 30mins seems even less appealing..
On to 'cross season! I've already swapped the tires on my wheels, and went out for an hour today, playing on the bike, getting used to how it handles, etc.. I'm really liking my Salsa, feels awesome, tho today i sort of injured my quads - i'm still waiting for a non-set-back seatpost, and shorter cranks (currently borrowing 175's), i need to move much more forward, and shrink the cranks, this set-up is screwing with my musculature!! I'll practice skills for now, rather than going on extended rides...
Madisons - i paired up with speedster Julian Base who has the coolest wheels. For most of the two races, he thought that he needed to maintain 30kph in the corners (like in Burnaby) so while everyone else did about 1.5 lap exchanges, i was doing 2-2.5...add to that i raced the first one in a 79" gear (oops! I was in a rush..), we did alright finishing 3rd both times (out of four teams.)
500m ITT - felt great, but was spinning out...realized i put on the 15t instead of the 14t cog...d'oh..got my slowest time in a while of 39-something..5th of five starters. Marty, my new OA teammate, raced B and came in 2nd behind Cooper.
30 Lap Scratch - really surprised myself with my best ride of the day, finished 3rd in this event, which normally leaves me further back.. I just took it easy, no big moves, saving for the final sprint, and it paid off! Fast race, averaged nearly 44kph.
Sprints - i don't do matched sprints, but again, Marty came in 2nd behind the indomitable Mike Cooper!
25 Lap Tempo - man, this race was a lot of work! Of course, it was just attack after attack...finished 5th, but only four points separated 2nd thru 5th. My Madison partner Julian was the sprint king and took the most points.
Keirin - my keirin mojo has returned! I got myself into a good position and held it, got on Chater's wheel when the sprint began, and stayed there to the line, finishing 3rd! Hit 62kph, woohoo! I haven't mentioned that i've been trying out 165mm cranks (instead of the 170's i've been using for years) and at these high cadences, they feel AMAZING!!! I'm really liking the short cranks. =)
Marty had an even more impressive performance - he got a crummy position off the start, but in the final stretch coming out of the corner, he powered up, around and over the entire field to nip Cooper at the line! Woohoo!! Victory for Marty and OrganicAthlete Victoria!!! Marty finished 2nd in the B Sprint Omnium, kick ass dude!!
Points Race - my favorite event, but was a bit tuckered since i'd done another Madison right before. Still, gave it what i could, collected points in all but one sprint, and finished 4th. Chater and Base were in full control this race, leaving Emile and myself to fight for the scraps.
Overview - i'm quite happy with my riding, i thought i'd suck ass due to an overall exhaustion from all the racing this year, but i rode quite well, perhaps even better than previous events in some respects! I think i'm learning how my body works, and optimizing as much as i can... I finished 4th in the Endurance Omnium, and in the overall BC Cup standings, i'm now solidly in 2nd...hopefully i can hold that at the final BC Cup in November! I think it's pretty unlikely i'll be able to catch (and beat!) Matt Chater, who's well away in 1st.
More TT Thoughts
My previous posting has a huge outline of my TT performance (or lack there-of) this year, and TT guru Don Gillmore suggested that the traffic on the course might be the difference... I did note that in my last effort, there were practically no cars, and lots of traffic can mean flying down the highway portion 6kph faster (or more!)
Don said that if i've improved in every other area (including Pursuits) and not this one event, then it's likely that this event has changed....i think Ockham's Razor is appropriate in this instance.
I absolutely *love* my new bike!! It's so damn cool!! Marty and i took off for it's first ride, and it was SO FUN! We cruised around, looking for parks, and would zip around on the trails, then hit the road again, and look for the next park. It's so great to ride around the roads at speed, and then be able to cruise around on other terrain! CX bikes are so much fun, i didn't realize this before! (Since i hadn't bough 'cross tires before.)
Anyway, the bike is *nearly* complete. Currently i've got my road wheels, Chorus groupo, Ritchey Comp bars, Specialized Team stem (it's kinda weird being 'high', but rides nice!), and the new Specialized Phenom saddle, which is basically the Toupe for offroad. Light.
For brakes, i've taken the original XT V-Brakes off my MTB, and while they feel a bit different, they're working quite well. When i get my new Mavic wheel, i'll be switching over to a disc brake on the front (got a 29'er coming, complete with bladed spokes, yip!)
I'm still waiting on the cranks, so have a cheap, heavy BB in there, and Tiagara cranks (thanks Marty!), but it'll be replaced with more Chorus. I'll also find a black anodized seatpost, not sure if i'll go with carbon yet, or maybe just another Thomson...i've liked the one on my Argon18.
I'm also on a quest to locate those funky orange Maxxis 'cross tires that you see people like Kabush riding around on....if anyone can score me a pair, let me know!!
That's all the excitement for now, a bunch of road racing this weekend, including my first hillclimb..eeep!
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