Not What I Was Hoping For

Bastion Square has come and gone, i'm a bit disappointed in my performance, but hey..

Let's pick up from whence we last blogged..

Took the Monday after the Master's races off, as usual. (Monday is a regular rest day.) Tuesday went for a fairly chill 1.75hr ride. Wed was Kid's Club, out tooting around the Dump for under an hour. Thursday chilled.

Friday, May 28th - Bear Mountain HC

That was a laugh!

I thought i'd try a different strategy...i'd go extra hard (ie, 350w) in the steeper parts, and easier (220-240w) in the faster sections.

Well, i pulled off the latter no prob. The funny part was that i didn't really go all that harder on the steeper sections, and had WAY too much come the end. For the last 14 seconds up the final steep bit, i blasted away at nearly 600w. That shouldn't happen in a 10min hill climb...i should be doing everything i can to be pushing 350w!!

So yeah, i went at it waaaay too easily. 311w average over 11mins. Yes, 11mins. I know i`m not a hill climber, but that`s just awful. I should have easily been under 10:30 (previous two times under this), and the watts should have been over 325w... I think i was thrown off with my cadence, which was actually well over 60rpm, and somewhat closer to my `comfort zone` (although really it`s up over 100rpm!) Feeling like i could sit and pedal, i remained seated and didn`t stand up, which would have boosted my output.

Oh well. I`m not going to beat myself up over a hill climb, although this was pretty ridic. =P

One other funny story from this: I`m just getting over the first hump and i hear heavy breathing and creaking behind me, and my 30 second person caught me. What`s scary is that it was only 1:24 into my effort. Dude caught me in literally 54 seconds!!! Predictably, he made it about 20m in front of me, and then hovered there for a couple minutes. Then he started to make some ground again... Hilarious tho. =P

Sat - Solo Ride

Pre-Bastion ride, just did an hour, with a couple all-out 1min efforts. By now i was looking at my WKO+ numbers, worried i hadn`t quite logged enough time in the lead-up week...TSS was pretty low.

Sun - Bastion Square (Cat 3)

Got in an okay warm-up. Weather wasn`t too great, cool, wore arm and leg warmers.

Started in 2nd row, on the inside (left) side. About 30 peeps in the race.

Started great, got around the corner quick and in the front of the pack. Cruised around, felt comfortable. Pace was good. People were cornering pretty well, although i`d take a better line through the corners and save energy. Occasionally people would try to corner 2-3 abreast..gaaah..

At about 10`08 in, there was a crash at `Kitty Crash Corner` (corner 1, just around from the start line, could tell due to huge drop in speed in my power file) that happened right beside me. Heard carbon crunch, dodged a falling body...got thrown off a bit, and the pack accelerated, and so i chased for a lap or two, and caught back on. Hung in for a lap, then another jump for a prime...gaaah! I started to fall off the back, and lost contact and chased for a couple laps, just off the back.

Now this is the part where doubt really comes in....i`d been pushing it to hang in there, NP was around 300w of chasing...and the first 10 min was 285w AP...! Not out of my range, but certainly close to my limits. So, if i really gunned it to reconnect, would i have been able to get into the pack and recover? Or would i have been shot out even harder?

Who knows... Anyway, i chased for over 4mins, looked back and saw Chad and another rider chasing me, so i eased off and joined in with their chase. We kept it going for another 11mins, my AP was 253w there (NP284w). Maintained 38.1kph, the first 10mins was 39.9kph, to give an idea of the pack speed. Chad was responsible for keeping the pace up, long and strong pulls! I tried to keep it up as well.

Anyway, we were pulled about 28mins in. Here`s the full power data:

 Crit:
    Duration:      27:50
    Work:          437 kJ
    TSS:           57.2 (intensity factor 1.111)
    Norm Power:    299
    VI:            1.14
    Distance:      17.933 km
                    Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    999    262     watts
    Heart Rate:      n/a    n/a    n/a     bpm
    Cadence:         38    133    101     rpm
    Speed:           8.2    51.6    38.7     kph

Oops - guess i forgot to make sure the PowerTap CPU picked up my HR...it really sucks at reconnecting if the signal is lost (ie, you walk away from the bike a minute.) The Garmin Edge500 picks it up very quickly and easily..

Pretty good numbers for me, peak 5min was 312w (AP), so wasn`t a walk in the park..

Sucked watching, but happy for my buds Zach who got 3rd, and Tom who finished 9th - he`s having a tremendous first year of racing! The results from my race are here, and all the details here.

My summary was `Not Racing Makes Racing Hard`...perhaps if i`d had a few more solid races under my belt, this would have gone better (pretty much my only prep was the Master`s crit the day before.)

Whatev`s, it`s just bike racing!!!

And a pic, courtesy of Duane:



Tue - TTT Practice, 2.5hr EM

I think i`ve mentioned the Tripleshot/Masters Team Time Trial (TTT) in a previous entry..it's this next Sunday (June 13th), and i've got a solid team for this, with Chad, Steve Doreen (he's back!) and Zach Young (who got 3rd at Bastion.) I'm a little worried i'm going to slow these guys up!

Anyway, we practiced the TTT turn, which is pretty cool. The front rider goes wide, and each rider behind goes one more 'slot' inside, so the 4th rider is doing the most sharp turn, but takes over the front of the group, and then everyone slots back in. Pretty fun! We'll have to do several of these on the Nanaimo River Rd course (i raced it in the ITT last entry, you can check the course profile, there's a fair bit of ascending...) It's 60km total, and a 20km out-and-back route.

After practicing this for a while, Steve and i continued on, did the Lagoon Loop, plus rode the OA-TT course. Got sprinkled on for the return ride...just light tho.

Here's the Garmin file:



Wed - Kid's Club, MTB Ride

Was out at the Dump for another Kid's Club session. Led another Skills class, and they pick up skills pretty quick! Fun to watch them progress, and ride down pretty scary stuff!!! (Including the descent into the TTA.) I know adults that won't ride that! And they're Grade 4-5 kids on fairly dinky bikes...haha..

Met with Steve and Chelsea afterwards, and we got out for more trailtime, did the typical 'Dave's Loop', which was nice, as i haven't been out there forever!

Rode back as well. Happy to get in another MTB ride. More Garmin nonsense:



If you're looking for a non-road ride out, you can see a lot of the trails we took on there.

Thu - 300w Returns

You may recall last summer i spent a lot of time riding at 300w, and i thought i'd jump back into it. Aimed for 2x 2x8mins@300w, 1min rest, 10min rest between sets.

Opted to try out the Tripleshot morning loop, which is around the Uplands/Iroquois golf course near UVic (see map). It's a bit busy during the day, so waited until after 6pm. I headed out on the water to catch the Russ Hayes group, and played with them until we hit the Uplands. Lysanne was shelled, so i waited for her at the top of the hill, and invited her to tag along with me...misery loves company. =)

Headed up, and got started. First one didn't feel too bad. Second was tough, nearly quit halfway through, but carried on. Took the longer break, started the 3rd, felt pretty good. Took another longer break, but Lysanne talked me into doing a 4th, which was good. Mission accomplished! The last didn't feel too bad either.

Thought i was holding the wattage, but it turned out i was a bit low, averaging 280-284w. Not gonna complain tho, still good efforts, and getting back into these. I think i was thrown off by the speed tho! We were averaging over 38kph most of the time, and i'm so used to slower intervals now...haha..so i think i held back a bit. Will pick it up next time. ;)

Anyway, here's the #'s for each effort:

#1

Ave Wts: 283

Ave HR: 173

Max HR: 181

Ave Cad: 106

Ave Spd: 37.4

#2

Ave Wts: 282

Ave HR: 179

Max HR: 184

Ave Cad: 107

Ave Spd: 38.5

#3

Ave Wts: 282

Ave HR: 172

Max HR: 180

Ave Cad: 100

Ave Spd: 37.6

#4

Ave Wts: 280

Ave HR: 168

Max HR: 177

Ave Cad: 98

Ave Spd: 37.4

It was also getting colder, dropping from over 17C down to 14C...happy with my cadence for the first two as well! Really dropped at the end.

Sat - OBB Ride

First time back in a little while. Thought i'd just keep it relatively chill, save some TSS for Sunday (i'd tally over 700pts for the week by the end of the ride, and 700 is a good place to stop..)

Some good efforts on the ride out to Sidney. Stuck with the front through Land's End...was going at a pretty good clip. Looked back as we approached the Panorama hill, and it was just 'us', a group of about 12 (there were over 30!!)

The drive up Panorama wasn't too hard, so i decided i'd try and stick in for the sprint. Conserved as much as i could, although i didn't slack off and did my fair share of pulls.

We were carrying good speed past Interurban, shelled a few more people along there... I slid to the back of the pack, there were several strong riders to watch out for, Craig, Tom Skinner, Ryan, Scotty and Steve Bachup.

Ryan ended up at the front and lead the group over the hill...he slowed it up a bit..

It picked-up down the hill, and there were a couple attacks...i stuck to the pack, i felt good and we were still too far out to make a successful sprint - plus there was quite the headwind!

Nothing was happening...then Steve jumped on the left/outside, and i snapped to his wheel - it was a weak effort tho, and he started steering to the right and easing off...yikes!! I was on the inside! I braked and jerked to the left, and started smashing the pedals!! WHAM - i was at the front!! I could feel it was a bit of a low cadence (~94rpm), but i powered through confident with my effort!

The line was coming up quick, a few more pedal strokes. I saw Craig out of the corner of my eye on the right, i pushed harder! Heard someone else coming up quick on my right...yikes!! The line was a few meters away, but i was still in the lead!

One more hard push and i dove for the line!!! But Craig's wheel inched ahead and he just barely snagged it. Scotty flew by on my left, but it was too late.

I was happy with second that day. =)

Unfortunately there's a fair bit of electrical interference in that spot, so i didn't get all my wattage data for the sprint, but i did manage to collect a new 20sec PB of 930w (up from 911w). The 10s and 30s were also very close...

The hour leading up to the sprint was pretty speedy, averaging 38.4kph. The final 30mins averaged 40kph, and the last 5min was nearly 47kph. FUN!

Some select data:

 Hour Leading To Sprint:
    Duration:      1:00:01
    Work:          819 kJ
    TSS:           101.9 (intensity factor 1.013)
    Norm Power:    272
    VI:            1.19
    Distance:      38.12 km
                     Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    1140    229     watts
    Heart Rate:      92    189    167     bpm
    Cadence:         32    131    99     rpm
    Speed:           0    61.4    38.4     kph

Peak 60min (230 watts):
    Duration:      1:01:22
    Work:          829 kJ
    TSS:           108.8 (intensity factor 1.043)
    Norm Power:    281
    VI:            1.22
    Distance:      38.128 km
                     Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    1140    230     watts
    Heart Rate:      125    189    169     bpm
    Cadence:         32    131    99     rpm
    Speed:           0    61.4    37.7     kph

Entire workout (191 watts):
    Duration:      2:53:02
    Work:          1948 kJ
    TSS:           233.5 (intensity factor 0.908)
    Norm Power:    244
    VI:            1.28
    Distance:      96.54 km
                     Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    1140    191     watts
    Heart Rate:      76    189    155     bpm
    Cadence:         28    131    94     rpm
    Speed:           0    65.2    33.9     kph

Funnily, the Peak Hour finished 10mins after the sprint (i turned around at the Goose to catch one of the dropped groups, and when i caught them there was a lot of traffic for my U-Turn, so had to chase over 300w for 1.5mins to catch..haha)

Where were these legs for Bastion? Gaaah..

Took today off, wanted to get out for an hour, despite my TSS of nearly 750 for the week, but it was rainy all day, so i just kicked around the hour and relaxed. Not a bad idea.

Next week should be fun. Tuesday is the next OA-TT (now called the Time Trial Championships of the Two Known Universes) - click here for details.

Wednesday i'm hoping to get out to Nanaimo for another Boxwood Crit, though might be tough with the Kid's Club stuff. Caleb instead? Thursday will hopefully hit the road with Steve and Chad for more TTT practice (if not, more 300w efforts.)

Not sure what riding i'll do Sat morning, but a group of us are heading to Crag X on Sat afternoon - yip! Then the TTT on Sunday.

Got a bunch of links i want to post, but this is long enough! More on the other side...

=============

Dave's Latest Twitter Updates

follow me on Twitter

=============

One CX Ends, A New CX Begins

Yes, cyclocross season is over, and back to winter training, and several days a week at Crag X Climbing Gym.

Last weekend was the BC Provincial Cyclocross Championships over in North Van. I headed over with Fluffy, Steve & Chelsea. Fun road-trippin' crew!

Got picked up at (ugh) 6am, and made the ferry with plenty of time. Uneventful ferry ride, and arrived at the course with plenty of time to spare. We wandered around a bit, checking out some of the features. It was pretty flat, winding around Mahon Park. Very different from any Cross on the Rock course. I believe the entire course was at least a couple meters wide, so nearly always opportunities to pass. It had been pretty wet, and although a grey day, no rain was seen....but it had done it's thing to the course, and the sharp 2m ride-ups were savaged and there were a few spots with muds of varying liquidity.

My racing option was Senior/Elite, so i was definitely outgunned. Not to mention i was still under the influence of that surprisingly tenacious cold...i managed to get on the bike the week before, but it wasn't particularly productive, nor did i feel fantastic. (Still, got that 5min/350 watt PB which i'm pretty happy with.)

Roland had gone over the day before, and raced the final BC Cup, and finished just off the podium in 4th in the B's. I would have been there had i felt more spunky...it was my original plan, but didn't feel up for it..

Roland raced in the Masters 30-39 field, which was bigger than he expected....he pulled off a 10th tho, good show! Fluffy in the next level of Masters pulled off a 4th (he thought he was further back!) and the Island's CX superhero Norm took the title, Provincial Champ! (He edged out Johnny Fokkema, who in turn sniped him at Nats.) There were lots of Islanders on the podium including my ride back, Peter Wellsman, who got 2nd in his field, and young Amanda Wakeling, who also claimed 2nd in the U17 Women. Joelle and Chelsea had great rides. Mike Brinton and Jordon Duncan, juniors who gave me grief in the local races also earned medals. Apologies to others i missed, full results and very accurate course-description here. Here we all are afterwards, great idea by Wendy Simms to snap a pic:



So, for my own race it was weird to line up with people i know who are so fast, and many more people i don't know who are fast. Steve was the only rider i'd see nearby for a little while.. (Apologies to Michael Rothengatter, who was with me at the start line, but i didn't recognize in the H&R kit, and out of context from the velodrome!! Glad we trackies are consistent in finishing off the back of the field in CX - really, could any cycling discipline be any less compatible?! Wait, what was Scott Mulder doing finishing 2nd?? hahaha.. Molly Cameron totally blows my theory out of the water, doing well on both...anyways..)

It was a tough course, with virtually no opportunities for recovery. Lots of shifts in speed, and a staggering assortment of mud.

The course started off with a straight-away and wide corner on a hard running surface, and then a sharp left into an uphill mudpit. It looked a bit like this (thanks to Amanda for the pics! Don't blame her for the blurriness, blame Vancouver's sky!):



There was a line you could ride up at the top, if you could get there... I gather more people ran it:



That led the first of many hairpin turns, and a set of 3 stairs. (The more advanced or brave riders would just ride up them. I stuck to running 'em.)



That spit us out into mudpit #2. Mudpit #2 lead to Mudpit #3 - The Descent. A short drop that was pretty carved out. Another stretch on running track, a few tight twists through some trees, over a pit of fist-sized sharp rocks, and back onto the playing surface, around another hairpin and into the barriers.



That lead back over the rocks part two. Luckily there was a narrow line on the right, i called the flat-free alley. A 90 degree turn led to some grass, and a short drop...which ended in Mudpit #4 - The Ascent. Luckily you hit this with some speed, and would get up quick. It was ridable on my pre-ride, but impossible afterwards... That wound around a tree and down another descent, which had another turn and then another sharp climb back up. This one was ridable all race. It literally hairpinned into another descent. These were all about 2m rises/descents, btw. Very power-oriented, which was fine for me..

All this lead to a paved straight of about 250m, and back onto grass with another hairpin. You're prolly starting to sense a theme here. ;)

This was the only recovery on the course, as you descended another 200m on a slight slope. It was over in about 8 seconds. Hope your heartrate has dropped sufficiently!

Another hairpin with some mud, another stretch on and off some concrete, and another hairpin. This lead to another hairpin and Mudpit #5 - The Drop Into The Slop. First off, it was a hairpin on a drop. The drop section itself was mud, and had many deep ruts. I managed to figure out a line that cut across it all and dropped me into the deepest section of 'The Slop', which was the best section to ride. It was about 10cm deep mud, about as thick as applesauce, where we can see Norm here:



Just a 90 degree corner there, but just out of view is a brief muddy berm into Mudpit #6. Similar to The Slop, but not as deep. These sections really tested your drivetrain... Across a small basketball court, into another steep powerclimb, this one maybe 3m long. If you were smart, you conserved a bit across the b-ball court to make it up this. If not, it was a run. And yes, muddy, tho seemed better as the race progressed.

Another 50m straight, and the 'real' stairs, about six of them. A quick ascent and return to the saddle, but for some reason this next section just killed me to get through. It was just 30m, into a hairpin and around a tree, but for some reason i moved SO SLOW there. The course wiggled between several more trees, and then wound back to the playing field, for a 100m straight, then another drop, tight corner and muddy ascent. I wasn't riding this, i think i saw a few other riders making it tho. 50m down was the finish/lap point.

This was the most exciting moment of the day for me - it was the final lap and Sven Sturm had been chasing me from the stairs.. He caught me by the run-up, and had a sprint for the line, and i managed to avoid getting lapped by him..haha.. Well, lapped twice. I think. For some reason the results say i was lapped once by the leaders, but i was definitely 2 laps down on Evan, Craig, Dan, Drew and Nick. I guess i held Sven to only 1 lap. ;)

I went into it with two goals: Top 20 finish, and not-last. Mission Accomplished! There were 22 riders, so there was some risk with this, but four DNF'd. As for the 2nd goal...that was fairly close, but luckily i remained ahead of one rider.

So two more Islanders finished around the podium, with Craig taking Silver, and Drew in 4th, both putting in strong rides.

Glad i went, although my body wasn't really up for any degree of competitiveness. I think were i feeling better, might have been able to finish 2-3 positions higher, but that'd be about it.. I guess that'll be my goal for next year: Top 15. =)

A few more pics, here's Norm negotiating the top section of the descent into the Drop Into The Slop:



Rollie about to hit the slop:



Fluffy catches and passes Rollie:



On one of many hairpin corners:



Hello haybale, had to ditch the shades as they were fogging up:



On the ferry on the way home, i didn't get a chance to hose down my bike before leaving (technically they took down the hose before i could!!)



My full set of shots can be found here. Not a lot, but hey.. Fun ride home with Peter and Craig, and a satisfying end to the 'cross season. =)

I've got some PowerTap data from rides on Thursday (w/Alyssa) and Saturday (again, out to Mt Doug with the OBB group), but it's not particularly interesting. Took Tuesday off, and hoping to get on the MTB tomorrow (Thursday.) Oh, fun link: my report for my first 'cross race, Nov '06.

Climbing Gym

I've been excited for months to get back to climbing, and so Monday made it out with my vegan climbing friend Kelly. This is our 3rd year of climbing together. Started Dec '07 or Jan '08, and go until March or so. It's an excellent form of cross training, and does wonders for the core (not to mention developing overall upper-body strength.) I usually end up going 2-3 days a week (the days i'm not on the bike!) By the end of Season 1 (Mar08), we were doing 10a's with relative ease, and completing some b's, and working on c's.

Fall '08, return in mid-November, work my way up, and back to 10a's in a few weeks. By end of Feb '09, i'd cleaned most 10d's, and was working on several 11a's, very nearly able to clear a couple... Pretty good progress! Most happy with my form, which i'd really worked hard on. Racing started early March, and i was feeling pretty done by then, so ended the season and focused back 100% on cycling.

So it's Fall '09, and i hit the walls on Monday. Very happy to be back! Funnily, there was only one rope that had routes from when we left. ;)

I felt pretty clunky starting off..jumped onto a 5.6, no prob tho i didn't feel very smooth. Did a 5.7, no prob. Moved up to a 5.8, again, no prob, although starting to feel it in the fingers a bit more, more fatiguing.

Thought i'd limit myself to the 5.8's, and cleaned them all. That was 2hrs, called it a night, pretty happy. After a couple 5.8's, my form really started to come back, and i was feeling mostly 'normal'. Even gave a 5.9 a go, felt great. Toes were sore tho!

Last night (Wed), went back for my second session. Recovered well, fingers and forearms felt solid. Started on a 5.7 - felt great. 5.8 - no prob. Did my first 5.9 - it had smaller, tighter near-pinches, no prob. Felt it a bit more, but it was good. Continued on with the 5.9's, and cleaned all in the gym but the long, overhang one with a nasty hold near the top. I think we've figured out how to manoeuvrer it, so shouldn't be a prob next session. There was also a 5.9+ that i attempted near the end, but i was pretty fried by then, but i *really* enjoyed that route. More challenging, and required a fair bit of 'yoga' as i put it - where you have to twist your body to make a hold with the greatest efficiency and smoothness. (You can just muscle it, but that's not my climbing 'style'...not to mention that it becomes an increasingly futile method as the climbs get more difficult. To all new climbers that might be reading this: WORK ON YOUR FORM!! Be SMOOTH and flow from hold to hold.)

Next session (Fri or Sat) will begin to tackle that 9+, and some of the 10a's. At this rate, i ought to be nearly back to where i was in a few weeks...assuming my fingers can keep up! Goal this season is to conquer the 11a's, and maybe a few b's. With climbing, there's diminishing returns once you get up to those levels... Going from a 10a to a 10b is fairly do-able. Going from 11a to 11b takes a LOT of practice. One note about my 'training': i'm just doing this for fun. I'm not doing pushups, pullups, or any finger exercises, and rarely do laps. I know i could progress faster doing these things, but i'm getting enough of a challenge, and happy with my rate of progression. Besides, once able to do 12a's, there's not many climbs left to do at the gym. ;)

Links of Interest

Okay, it's getting late, and i've got a bunch saved up, but got a couple fun ones -- GoogleMaps Streetview have invaded Victoria, so i can show the world a few spots, so here are a few.

First, my bike shop Oak Bay Bikes. Here's the section of Beacon Hill Park where we'd do most of our 'cross practice. And unfortunately they don't going up the street where Crag X is, but it's the tall building on the right.

Laters!

=============

Dave's Latest Twitter Updates

follow me on Twitter

=============

Falling From Fourth

Ahh...'cross on the island is over..went out with a high and low. The course we designs for CrossVega was AWESOME. People raved about it. Low was that i went into the race sitting 4th overall in Intermediate, and after being unable to perform, plus a flat, i've probably dropped to 10th or so...nuts. Anyway, catching up on the week:

Saturday - OBB Ride


Still wasn't feeling very great, cold still lingering. Headed out on the OBB ride, planning to ride an hour and a bit. Funny group, rather small, and we had *two* flats before leaving Oak Bay!! I realized i was still feeling like crap. Fraaaack..not looking good for Sunday. I stuck with the group to Mt. Doug, then turned left on Shelbourne and cruised back home. Power deets:

 Entire workout (166 watts):
    Duration:      1:03:14 (1:11:33)
    Work:          622 kJ
    TSS:           64.1 (intensity factor 0.784)
    Norm Power:    204
    VI:            1.23
    Distance:      27.911 km
                       Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    590    166     watts
    Heart Rate:      82    180    148     bpm
    Cadence:         32    138    91     rpm
    Speed:           3.9    66    26.7     kph

Not much power, and even this was draining.

At noon headed up to Shawnigan Lake School with Jen, Roland and Katie, and met up with Norm, Chris, Dan and Ian Craib to set up the course.  Below is the 'general' map.

There was some wiggling in the whiteish bit in the middle, and the field on the lower right was my domain...and i turned it into an epic, challenging sequence, features some tight turns off the top, up a small rise, which drops into a mud pit, then back up immediately (which got quite slick) and then a short straight into 'The Flush', basically a mini whirly-whirl. Another short stretch on a trail to the three off-camber V's. The first most rode, the second was a challenge, and very few could ride the third. Then another short straight, a tab more elevation, and then a drop in an S bend corner that was also very challenging, with riders slipping out and unclipping with great frequency...the goal there was to slow riders before the chute into the woods, which was a fast downhill - it woulda been a bit nuts to have riders hit that with speed!

From there was the downhill, which became a river overnight (it was mostly dry Saturday, i swear!) That river hid many sharp rocks which caused most to flat...myself included. In the woods was a short 'singletrack' technical section, and then out onto a road section that continued downhill. From there, back to a trail which had a very technical riser/berm, and tight turn back to the main trail, that led to the stairs. Best placement for stairs, imo as well, as you were fully recovered by the time you hit them. Long set too, but i actually managed okay on them.

That continued with the uphill..up a road, then a short cross over to more wooded, rocky trails, and up and up and up...into the bottom of the rugby field, some more climbing getting ABOVE the rugby field, and then around it..ugh! Once back nearly where we started circumnavigating the field was the real mud...it just got worse each lap, real wheel-sucking stuff..haha.. A 5 meter drop and short stretch before the barriers (just two), another downhill on the road, and then back up to the lap/finish point.  From there a long uphill road to the grassy field. It was a LONG freaking course, nearly 3.5km by my estimates. Awesome to ride tho.

Sunday - CrossVega!

Ahh.. The Island Championships...double-points for the series too, and i'm flattened by a cold. I had a decent first lap, stuck with the front through the grass:





I think one person might have snuck by on the stairs:



After that it went downhill on the uphill. Several people eased by as i had no high-end to power up the climb...so sad..trailed the group around the field and then lost contact on the road..



(Thanks to Mical and Danielle for these shots!)

And basically kept moving backwards from there all race.. The grassy field allowed me to bridge up to a rider a time or two, but that was about the only momentum i could manage.. And then i flatted to boot..haha..



Other riders had good races tho, Geoff Pendral won our race, Roland pulled off another impressive 4th place finish, securing his victory of taking the entire series! (And then he raced Expert later on too, what a maniac!)

Teammate Jen had a rough race too. Battling it out with Glenowyn for a couple laps, but then flatting as well as a few mechanicals. Still, she managed to hold onto 3rd for the Open Women's field, awesome work Jen, nice job representing! =)




The event finale was pretty swell, with TONS of awesome prizes for the draws, and nearly everyone must have walked away with something. Gotta thank Vega, Green Cuisine (vegan chili and corn bread for racers!) and Pink Sugar for helping with prizing for OA. =)

It was bittersweet as well, as the series was finished...wouldn't be seeing so many faces, especially Normon and Wendy, who have done SO much work to make the series happen. Norm won the Top Organizer's award from CyclingBC this year, and rightly so! Cross on the Rock is a golden, magical event, thanks to these two!

My own pics of the Masters/Womens and Elite race, plus details on course features can be found here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/davenoisy1/20091122CrossOnTheRock6CrossVega

Tuesday - Training, 350w/5min Effort


Wasn't sure how i'd feel, or if i'd be able to do anything on the bike. Plan was to head out to the Observatory, do a short effort on the way, and see how that felt and go from there..

Off the top i didn't feel too great, legs a bit achy, but a few minutes in it started coming together, and by the time i was on Interurban, i felt mostly "normal"! Legs were pushing the watts they should, and felt lively. YAY! A little late, but glad to feel good.

Around Camosun i put some pressure to the pedals for a minute, and it felt fine. HR and breathing increased at a normal rate. Okay, on to the Observatory for a 350 watts and 5min test (hopefully one and the same!)

I've been curious to see how my power compared to when i started doing my 350w intervals.  My first test saw me holding 350w up to the first switchback in under 4mins, but failure at that point. Wasn't able to carry on.  Also, my 5min PB was 341w, although that was from a year ago...i never have a reason to give my all for 5mins! It's either much shorter (5-30seconds) or 20mins+. (Were i racing track, my 5mins would be much more relative..) Anyway, i had my recent benchmark of ~4mins.

Started off, felt pretty good. Held the watts with relative ease...and managed to feel this way until the steep bit before the switchback...by then was breathing fairly heavily, but far from done. Upon looking at my data, i had actually hit that point around 3'30, and had been holding 360w!

I powered as much as i could while corning the switchback and then back uphill...close to the top of the first stretch i could feel myself beginning to fade, but i wasn't going to give up.  Got out of the saddle and maintained as much as i could sustain...i was going to get myself to the buildings..... Still 20m to go, and i was DYING. Breathing so hard, legs very unhappy, i crested the section, sat down and tried to continue pedalling, and there was nothing. That was all i had....

I didn't know what i'd done, i didn't switch over to the timer, so i wasn't sure i'd even ridden 5mins. I cooled down for a minute up there, breathing heavily (a worker there commented!), and then pointed downhill, and made tracks back for home.

So turned out i HAD ridden 5mins, so there was a chance to break my previous PB...and i did, yeah! I managed to average 350w - woohoo! I'm pretty happy to be hitting a PB this late in the season, and esp. after a crappy weak of non-training and illness.. I suspect i'm capable of more, but i think this was the one timeframe i hadn't gotten a PB in this year, so nice to complete that. ;)

Here's the full session details:

Entire workout (201 watts):
    Duration:      1:31:44 (1:34:54)
    Work:          1096 kJ
    TSS:           118.2 (intensity factor 0.882)
    Norm Power:    229
    VI:            1.14
    Distance:      44.426 km
                         Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    863    201     watts
    Heart Rate:      78    190    159     bpm
    Cadence:         25    124    94     rpm
    Speed:           3.9    56.1    29.3     kph

And here's the 5mins breakdown for shits'n'giggles:

Peak 5min (350 watts):
    Duration:      5:01
    Work:          105 kJ
    TSS:           15.2 (intensity factor 1.347)
    Norm Power:    350
    VI:            1
    Distance:      1.668 km
                         Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           106    492    350     watts
    Heart Rate:      133    190    183     bpm
    Cadence:         52    99    82     rpm
    Speed:           12.5    26.9    19.9     kph

Funny to think i burned up a banana doing that. =P

I had also pinned 190bpm for the final 30 seconds..owwie.. Funny to think that in previous years i'd spend quite a bit of time in that range...much less this year, doing more TT stuff, etc.. I think if i could maintain this effort to the top, i would finish around 6'15..far from any record, but i'd be happy with that! Holding 350w for another minute+ would be quite an achievement...i was DONE at 5mins.

Coming Up

Will jump on the bike for a short ride tomorrow. Planning to head to the mainland for Saturday and Sunday which feature the final BC Cup and Provincial Championships for cyclocross, it'd be fun to see what the events over there are like.  For the Provincials, i'd have to race Elite, which will be hilarious, i'll be lapped by most of the field, but hey..heheh

After that my season is FINISHED!! December will feature less time on the bike, and more fun-oriented, including lots of trail time on the RIP9. Also, will be heading back to Crag X to climb - really, really looking forward to that!

A few quick links:

CYCLOCROSS WORKOUT
US Cyclocross Champ Ryan Trebon's Workout - Adjusted for You
http://www.trainright.com/articles.asp?uid=4700&p=4694
Funny to see that a pro is doing pretty much the same workouts as myself! Although i was doing mine a bit harder, spending time quite a bit above my Fieldtest output, but slightly below SS for the 'under' (260w v 270w).

VeloNews: Clinchers for Cross
http://velonews.competitor.com/2009/11/bikes-tech/clinchers-for-cross-three-good-choices_101423
I'm of course a huge fan of the Mud tire (esp the original green Mud). The Wolf is also pretty solid for racing in these parts.

And more pics from Sunday:

Rita's Pics:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Missdragonfly1/CyclocrossShawniganLake

Jamie's pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jam1ec/sets/72157622868380514

Regan's CrossVega Photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reganpringleshoots/sets/72157622859138448/

Happy Thanksgiving to the US readers!

=============

Dave's Latest Twitter Updates

follow me on Twitter

=============

Fifteen and Four

An epic weekend of racing!

Saturday - Children of the Corn Cross at Sluggett Farm


What an epic affair! This was the most 'authentic' cyclocross i think we've ever seen on the island.

Mud. So much mud. Rain. Cold.

It also started very poorly for me - i did a pre-ride lap (damn thing too nearly 15 minutes!) After, went back to the car to put on my race shoes and fresh socks (soaked).

I'm geared up, heading back, a few other riders are changing as well.. I am just about to the course, and i hear the siren go - the START siren! Gah!

The race started about 200m up from the lap/finish point, which is about where i was...shit!! I get on the course and immediately start chasing - this sucks!! The course starts in the grass with a long straight stretch and a smooth, wide corner, some twists and barriers. I'm about 500m in and i'm starting to catch the trailers..well, that's two down out of almost 30! After the barriers is a short, very twisty wooded section, i'm just about on the back of the pack, and am there as we come out to a muddy section that leads back to the grass....i get by another person struggling.

Once on the grass, it's the longest straight on the course, i gun it, pass another 3-4 riders, and then we turn and hit thicker mud...it's rideable the first lap, but not after..  This leads to the creek crossing - it's over a foot deep, and over a meter wide!! Feet wet again. Yip.

It's a pretty steep scramble to the top in slippery mud...then an uphill stretch with several more shallow crossings...one seems perfect for sucking in a 'cross wheel... I've maybe caught another rider, they're all moving a bit faster now.

From the top of this section we weave through a few backyards, and then into another slick muddy section with a couple short sprints off the bike up steep embankments. And then, into the dreaded cornfield.

On my pre-ride, there were several rideable sections, at least the first 100m into it. It was already churned up waaay too much, and spots were getting deeper..by the end of the race i was frequently stepping in mud up to my knees!!

This was an awful, long section.  Maybe 300m in this stuff. So slow-going for me. Here's a shot heading into this mess, one of the only ones from this race from Katie, oddly!



After the mud was this human-made 'hill', basically a stand they made that we have to ride up and over! Right after that is the lap/finish point...gaaah...one lap down, three more to go. It was a very slow course!

I picked off several more riders, and was in a small group duking it out for a while, but i couldn't really sustain a lot of power, and the cornfield was sucking the life out of me...

I ended up 15th, over 7mins behind the leaders, which included Roland. The farthest i've finished behind him! Ugh..

For lotsa entertaining pics, visit here:

http://photos.rabien.com/Cyclocross/Chilren-of-the-Corn-Cross/10241988_4wha9#P-3-16

I'm definitely not an 'authentic' 'cross racer!! The more i'm off my bike, the worse i'm going to do sadly..i'm a bike racer, first and fore-most! Short sprints are manageable, but beyond that...eeep!

Wendy Simms race report has been posted on Island Sports News.

Sunday - Cameron Cross at Juan de Fuca

Entirely different day! Sunny, warm, relatively dry. The course was significantly different as well! I had no idea what to expect, although with a long climb, i suspected that i would not fare too well.

The race started on a paved stretch, we went 200m and then a sharp left into a narrow gateway, and then singletrack uphill. I was in the 2nd row for call-up (yay!).





I kept up front going into the singletrack. We started uphill, which went for maybe 350m. None of it was steep, just a gradual climb. Near the top, i looked back, and i was in a lead group of about 6 riders, and ~20m behind was another smaller pack, an no sign of anyone else.. Kevin Knock was riding at a crazy pace, gapping the rest of us.

At the top of the climb was the only section that i'd have to run - but it was a long, windy section up a steep rocky section. I feared this would be the end of me... I kept up for the first lap, and the group of us began the long descent.

This was the redeeming part of the course for me. It was a very long 'descent', in a Super-D way. Basically, working our way downhill with a number of short power climbs into tight technical corners. And most of it was on the hillside, so it was perhaps 80% off-camber grass. As the lap progressed i passed one or two riders who were either slow moving, or wiped out.

At the bottom was a long stretch through boggy grass (that got worse and more sloggy each lap), into the barriers, around a corner, and into the lap-point and finish line. After that was a couple twists into the 'alley', which had two big stair drops, covered by plywood. The second one was particularly steep, and i nearly bit it a couple times coming down!



After that, were a couple more twists, and then onto the grass and back to the climb. Behind me in the above pic was Guy Gensey, who was on my wheel for much of the race, keeping me honest!

So it turned out that the climb wasn't too bad for me - i was careful to maintain a steady pace, and conserve some energy for the run-up at the end....i would pace myself so by the time i reached the top i would be DEAD, as at the top there was a short 20m boggy flat, but then the downhill hit, and i could recover there. I think that was one of the key elements for me: plenty of potential recovery on this course. There were a number of spots where pedaling hard weren't terribly beneficial, as you'd be hitting a corner quickly, and have to slow down into it...so i carefully maintained a steady pace through each section, and would power out of each corner to get my speed up (and then ease off on the pedaling a bit).

As the laps progressed, i worried that i'd not be able to maintain my pace...i was really hovering above my redline. I'd passed a few more riders, and only one rider had gotten by me: the young (16) Michael Brinton who's proving to be a diverse and strong rider!! This isn't our first encounter. ;)

With a couple laps to go, i knew it was only Roland ahead of me, and Geoff Pendrel (former pro downhiller!) was in sight (couldn't close the gap tho), along with Michael. Not far behind was Guy...on the final lap i was pretty worried he might catch me...but i kept a level head. Steady up the climb, and as fast as i could manage on the run-up. He was right on my heels by the top!!  I jumped on my Salsa and powered away into the downhill - it started off with a nice fast drop into a long grassy stretch. I opened 20m immediately, and as we wound our way down, i continued to increase it.  Getting to the bottom, i knew that i was safe, and eased off a bit.. I could also see Haldor was maybe 100m further back -- pretty impressive considering he's riding single-speed!!

Nearly tripped on the final barriers, and eased across the finish line. 4th!!!! Yeah!!!



Hanging out with the other top finishers Geoff and Roland, chatting about the race. Roland has been having a stellar season, and collected his first win as well, but it was by the smallest margin yet: just over a minute from me.

I'm pretty happy with that effort, nice to ride a course that suited me pretty well. Would probably have fared even better without that final run-up, but hey! Also, i think it worked for me being the 2nd day of racing -- i'm pretty used to this from the track, where we commonly race 2-4 days consecutively.

Another two amazing race days, thanks to Normon and Wendy, and the other organizers. =)

More pics from Katie here:

http://photos.rabien.com/Cyclocross/Cameron-Cross-1/

And Wendy's race report on ISN. Check the links below for a few more related items!

Training

A bit pooped from the weekend, i thought i'd mix it up, and hopped on my MTB on this grey, near-rainy day. If i was feeling spunky, i might have gone around and up Durrance Rd, and in the 'back' way to the Dump, and then downhill out (Who's Yer Daddy, Nightshift, Skull, Shock Treatment and Executive to Meadowbrook Rd).

That didn't really materialize, but instead i went and investigated a bunch of singletrack trails off the Colquitz trail system, which i ride to get out to the Dump (from downtown you can avoid roads almost entirely to Prospect Lake Rd.) Found some fun alternative sections, and also checked out some of the trails up around Camosun Interurban/PISE, which were pretty fun. A few fun options to liven up the ride out.

Here's my PowerTap data:

Entire workout (180 watts):
    Duration:      1:55:55 (2:01:55)
    Work:          1255 kJ
    TSS:           135.7 (intensity factor 0.838)
    Norm Power:    218
    VI:            1.21
    Distance:      41.359 km

                       Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    869    180     watts
    Heart Rate:      71    179    145     bpm
    Cadence:         32    212    84     rpm
    Speed:           3.9    45.4    21.5     kph

heh - the cadence isn't 'real' on there, just guessed by the software. I'm pretty sure i didn't hit 212rpm. ;)

Wednesday VCX

Final event of the season! Over at Topaz Park under the lights. Funny as we're encircling the soccer field as kids are playing there, we're racing around on the grass. =)

Felt pretty good, and got in a good workout. Had a great first four laps, leading a group of four riders, but by the time the final lap came around, i faded and fell back. Roland and i were maintaining the same pace, except he took off at the start and was maybe 200m ahead. ;)

30mins solid race workout, over an hour on the bike total.

CrossVega - November 22nd!!

Details are still being sorted out, but the final Cross on the Rock event is likely to be called CrossVega, and i have the pleasure of designing much of the course! OA and OBB will be the primary sponsors, and we're going to design an awesome Island Championship race course at Shawnigan Lake School. More details to come, we're heading out tomorrow morning to scout out the grounds... The date will be November 22nd, plan to come out and race or cheer!! Food will be all vegan, aiming for chili and corn bread, cupcakes and more!

Links'n'Stuff

As usual, lotsa stuff i've come across:

The Fiery Tumble
http://picasaweb.google.ca/cycletouringcanada.com/NutcaseSingleSpeedChampionshipOfTheUniverse?feat=directlink#5398934088619199378
haha - it was caught on film!! You might recall me highlighting how i nearly fell into the fire trenches, here's the evidence, click through the sequence as i nearly get torched!!

The Lightest Bike in the World
http://photo.mpora.com/photo/5Qr6Tvg1cD
Title says it all. ;)

Roland Spills, Still by Still
http://i.imgur.com/ZSLMJ.jpg
Another great photo sequence as Rollie narrowly avoids biting it on Sunday!!

Cameron Cross Pics
http://picasaweb.google.com/davenoisy1/20091108CrossOnTheRock5Colwood
A bunch more pics from me of the Masters, Women's and Expert races from the Sunday, good overview of the course.

Northerners Steal SSCXWC09: Drew MacKenzie and Kari Studley Golden in the Mud, Seattle Crowned 2010 Host
http://cxmagazine.com/northerners-steal-sscxwc09-drew-mackenzie-and-kari-studley-golden-seattle-crowned-host
My 'cross buddy Drew took his second SingleSpeed World Championship title - nicely done, earning the coveted golden speedo!!!

That's it for now! This weekend i'm planning to return to the OBB group ride on Saturday, and Sunday might see a MTB ride...happy trails!

=============

Dave's Latest Twitter Updates

follow me on Twitter

=============

NISSCCOTU-WTF?!

Survived the weekend! Saturday was the Nutcase Intercontinental Single-Speed Cyclocross Championships of the Universe, aka NISSCCOTU, and Sunday was World Vegan Day. A report on what we did is here.

Training-wise, last week i rested up on Thursday and Friday, and then Saturday:

NISSCCOTU

Okay, is it me, or does this sound like some sinister beast, perhaps a North American relative of the chupicabra?!

Anyway, the Errington (just outside of Parksville) race on Fletcher's Farm was a hoot, with an astounding number of ways to injure and maim yourself. =)

It started off with a Leman's-style 500m foot-sprint...and it was not unlike Braveheart.

I yelled FOR FREEDOM!!!!

There were some chuckles..

We were awaiting some fireworks to go off as a start signal. More moments passed. Norm's waving his pink arms.

FOR MORE FREEDOM!!

More laughter...and Norm just tells us to go:



We're off - dodging cow patties in the process!

And did i mention that we all removed our front wheels, and had to pick them up at the 250m mark, and then remount our wheels when we got to our bikes at the 500m mark?



There i am off behind the Pink Normon. Drew, on the left, lived up to his costume, and is the reigning 2008 World Single Speed Champion. I'm back in the game, there between the pink princess and cow:



The ride was short, as we immediately hit the 10 PACK set of barriers. Yes - 10 sets of barriers:



I think i was lapped a few times whilst in the barriers..

Luckily speed was picked up quickly out of the barriers as it was a bit of a downhill on the field, and a short curvy road and then the lap-point and Finish. From there, some more twists and turns, and into the wooded section, which had a loads of roots and tight twists. That spit us out on the descent over the fire trenches.

Yes - FIRE TRENCHES!!

They dug out two pits and filled them with wood, and lit it on fire, AIR VEGAN!



Not everyone jumped the trenches, like my teammate Jen:



Or ROLAND!! (Dishonoring Wendy Simms, who he's dressed up as!)



Of course, i was the only person to take a tumble, very nearly rolling into the pit itself!!





That was pretty much the end of my race there..chain was off, put it back on.  I hopped back on my bike, and then it clicked what people were yelling to me "straighten your bars!". Gah. Hop off, rotate my bars back straight.

Foolishly, i'd been trying to fully bunny-hop the trenches, but turns out (i learned the next lap) all you had to do was ride over them, you ought to have enough momentum to carry you over..haha.. It doesn't help my bars are pretty low, and the lower tire pressure also threw me off, literally, as it squished a lot when i landed! I'm no aerial artist at my best...

Several people passed as i fumbled on the pits, and got going again, chasing down those i could. It mainly ended up to be dualing match between Tom and myself..i'd catch and pass him on the flats, and then he'd get by me on the climbs and barriers (you can see him in front of me in the 10packs above).

There was a short flat across a grassy field, then up a short hill, some more wooded twists, then back down and into a cornfield:



There were still stalks of corn sticking up, so it was like 'thuk thuk thuk thuk' as you rode through. That lead up to a short run-up, and into the mud. It started off with thick, boggy mud (with 'islands' of hard grass), and then onto a trail which was literally like riding on chocolate pudding. Luckily, the deep puddle that was there last year was quite a bit more shallow this year:





That spit us back out onto the cornfield, and back up to the grassy field, another short uphill in the grass to the barriers, and then around the lap-point.

On the final lap, Tom was having trouble with his saddle, which enabled me to get by and stay away.. There was another rider 50m ahead at that point, and so i gunned it! He had a big lead going into the barriers, but i was motoring through for once..helps having a little motivation!

I actually manage to get out of the barriers just as he was about to hop back on his bike - YES!! I remount, and DAMN! CHAINS OFF!! Gaaaah.. I fumble with it, and look back, and my buddy Jamie is in hot pursuit too, trying to lap me! I get back on the bike, but with the 400m or so to go, it's not really much of a concern. I ease up to make it fairly close. ;)

Thanks to Katie for all these pics! I finished 23rd (out of 33), it was only one category. Single-speed racing is not my cup of tea! I picked a pretty good gear for me (something like 34x19), it felt okay for the first half, and then a bit big in the 2nd half. It was such a rolly course that cadence was changing constantly, from 60-110rpm. I'll stick to the geared riding! Big thanks to our team sponsor Eatmore Sprouts, who gave us a good dose of healthy deliciousness to bring home. =)

All of Roland and Katie's pics are here, and Dave Silver also has an excellent gallery here. Normon and Wendy's race report is a hoot too, and be sure to check out the pics - i don't know if the one of the two OBB fairy's jumping over the firepit was coordinated, but it's a hilarious shot either way. =)

This weekend is the double-header around Victoria, with one race in Saanich (Slugget Farm) and the other in Colwood at the Juan de Fuca grounds (site of our poor velodrome.)

Keeping the training fairly tame this week. I meant to get out yesterday, but was feeling a bit under the weather (my Sunday - World Vegan Day - was uber-busy, from 11am-9:30pm), and Saturday was also a lot of time out (left at 9am, got home at 8pm), and was pretty stessed-out planning for both activities in the day leading up. I'm a little more accustomed to a slower pace. ;)

Today (looks nice out!), will head out and see what the legs feel like, might just be a 2hr EM, considering some 'Hard/Harder' intervals that Normon and Wendy suggested..that'd be 4mins @ 300w, then 2mins harder, say 350w. Prolly chill Wed, and another 2hrs EM Thu, and then race the weekend!

If anyone reading this is interested in helping out with the Velodrome Association, our AGM is on Thursday, details here.

It also turns out that i'm going to be designing the final race course for the Cross on the Rock series, on Nov 22nd out at Shawnigan Lake School, this should be interesting.....! Will be heading out on Friday to scope out the terrain and basic course.

Links & Such

A few items that might be of interest to readers:

Another Vegan Cycling & Cyclocross Blog
http://theveganvagabond.blogspot.com/
My friend Tanya (aka Vegan Vegabond) maintains an entertaining blog, check it out!

Pure Sweet Hell "Cyclocross Film" (Three Minute Trailer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkOhzvv-4vA
Very authentic trailer, check it out!

Alcohol Stunts ATP Production
http://cyclingnutrition.blogspot.com/2009/10/alcohol-blunts-atp-production.html
Interesting piece, i'm already aware that alcohol inhibits testosterone production (so not a great idea to drink after a workout), also turns out that it stunts ATP production, which sprinters rely on to fuel their muscles.

A Vegan Feminist Lament
http://caroljadams.blogspot.com/2009/10/vegan-feminist-lament.html
A blog entry from Carol Adams (author of The Sexual Politics of Meat) - really great piece, here's a quote:

"When vegans eat with meat eaters, many of us don’t see “meat.” We see the remains of a morally abandoned being, at the center of the table, being buried into the stomachs of those around us. We are not just supposed to be quiet, we are supposed to be polite."

That's it for now, keep on riding!

=============

Dave's Latest Twitter Updates

follow me on Twitter

=============

Do the Madison - Burnaby Race Report

I survived the Burnaby MayDays spring challenge, splinter-free!

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!)

My photos located here, with a slideshow below, and click here, here and here for Roland's.


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.

Noisy out!

From 2008-05-13 - ...

Race and New Gear!

Hello, brothers and sisters of the revolution! =)

This is a little update of some of the gear i've picked up in the last few months, all from my fantastic supporter, Oak Bay Bikes! But first, some more racing updates:

Tuesday went to the track and did two sets of 6x30 second intervals (30 seconds 100%, 30 seconds rest, repeat) - nasty type of interval - the first few feel good, by the end i just want to die. Bleh. Good for developing recovery along with intensity, not to mention riding hard when you feel like death! Got a new PB in my 30 second Wattage results: 614w, up 36w from my previous high in March - woot!

Racing

Thursday i continued this trend in the weekly racing. First up was the first Madison of the year, we'll be playing with the idea of opening racing each night with Madies - pairing up A & B/C riders, limiting the gears of the A's (84" that night..gotta get it down to 82", which is what it'll be for Trackfest.)

Malcolm and i were teamed up, he's been fighting an infection, so while he's got great technique and knowledge, he wasn't riding 100%. The first half (20 laps total) was neutralized, to allow us to get used to the format again.

(Madison's are a track race where you've got a partner, and basically 'sling' each other in and out every couple laps - the 'sling' or throw allows the currently racing rider to transfer his/her speed to the incoming rider, and the slinger moves uptrack to rest while the other rider does a lap, and then this is repeated.)

When the sprint bell was rung at the halfway mark (10 laps), i had just been slung back in, and we were well off the front, so easily scored the points. Come the end, it was getting a bit more mixed up, and i misjudged his speed (thinking he was faster), so we didn't get a final sling in. He got close, and i gunned it, and passed one rider to finish 2nd, but since Malcolm was technically the 'racer' (we didn't exchange or even get close before the line for the last lap) his position was the 'final', and we got 4th place points in the final sprint, which put us in 2nd overall, tho the top three teams (of five) all had 6pts, so the race itself was well balanced! =)

I enjoy the Maddies, let's hope more riders come out for them!

Next up was a 42 lap (14km) Scratch race (first over the line wins). There were six of us who started - my main threats were Matt B (nice to have him back!), Cooper and Chris A (see last entry for our matched sprint on Monday! He also raced well last Thursday.) Simon C (who's worked his way up to 2nd in the points league) and Mike C, who's signature move is to attack off the front in the first lap. ;)

The race started, and we kept the pace pretty high off the get-go...my kind of race, but it was starting to feel like a fast pace-line rather than a race....so i attacked! Bam! Picked it up, but everyone was still there. A few laps later, attacked again!! Broke up the pack a bit, could see some peeps tiring...good.. After one or two more hits, people started dropping... Once more, and it was Cooper, Matt and myself - rocket!! A couple times Simon got back in after being lapped, but we managed to shut him out after a few laps. ~10 laps to go, i was fading bad.. I was riding a 90" gear, expecting a Points race that night (and thinking i'd be sprinting more, with more recovery - we switched the format since there were only six of us) which was waaay too big for me, and my legs were getting pretty tired from grinding (or at least what's griding to me....350-400w at 100rpm is 'grinding' to me, i'd much rather be up and over 110rpm. ;)

Short story shorter, with 2 laps to go, Matt guns it, Cooper jumps on his wheel, and i wave goodbye...my legs were drained from all my attacks, and continuing in a big gear. Might have been okay in a hot, fast race, but holding 40kph was starting to hurt... So, finished 3rd, and the rest of the riders were lapped 3 times, or DNF'd - woohoo!

Gear!

Now for some fun stuff! Here's some of the gear i've gotten in the last little bit, and my comments:

PowerTap SL

I keep saying this: the PT has changed my life. It's been insanely informative, giving me hard feedback on my strengths and weaknesses, and making it easy to map out how i need to improve.

It makes pacing in a TT a total breeze, and prevents inefficient training (if i'm not hitting or sustaining certain wattage in intervals, it's a sign that i'm too tired, and am better off stopping, as an example. It's often very hard to tell this 'by feel'...)

Final bonus is simply uploading all my training data, and not having to write all this stuff down every day.

From 07-05-25 - NY...

Bell Sweep XC

Got myself a new helmet, since i'd been riding the other one for a couple years, and picked out this one because....it's orange! (And Bell's are about the only helmet that fits right.) There's a cool green one as well, but i opted for this. It also comes with a detachable visor, which i like for the rainy days.

2007 Campy Chorus

Wow..i've been very impressed. I've read it's actually lighter than Dura-Ace, which is nice, since my bike is prolly just a hair under 19lbs now - lightest bike ever! (Well, not counting the track bike!) The shifting is soooo nice, and the brakes are actually really nicely balanced, with the single-pivot in the rear (to save weight) and dual in the front. Normally i'd lighten up with the rear, but now i feel like i apply about the same pressure to the front and back..pretty nice. Carbon cranks have felt super-stiff as well, i'm still planning to pick some up for the track bike. (Maybe not Campy, but carbon *something*.)

Conti 4000 Tires - Orange

Me likey!! Very light, so far quite durable, and great color. Ride wonderfully in all conditions as well. OBB is gonna hate me when i have to order another pair. ;)

From 07-05-25 - NY...

Specialized Pro Shoes

I had actually planned to get the S-Works shoes, with the dial, but couldn't get my size (41) in the orange, so went for the 'step down'. I thought the dial might be fun, but i've also seen some complaints with failure, so maybe i got the right choice...

Either way, these shoes are AWESOME. First thing i noticed was how comfy they are - they fit my foot SO nicely. Perfect out of the box. And of course ORANGE! =)

The other thing is STIFFNESS of the carbon fibre soles. Holy crap. Unbelievably stiff. When i get out of the saddle, it's like i'm walking up solid concrete stairs. Just a nice, big, solid platform under my feet. Fantastic.

Also, got the new 2007 Ultegra pedals - i noticed i kept wearing through the plastic plates in my older pedals, which leaves them feeling 'sloppy', and the new design has a steel plate instead, which is a big improvement. My feet feel much more solid in these pedals now.

Mavic Ksyrium Elite front wheel

I wanted an upgrade from my Campy Veloce/Mavic Open Pro wheel, and went with this several months ago - i've been very happy. Nice and smooth, low-count bladed spokes, pretty light. Nothing special, but no complaints either!

Specialized Toupe Gel Saddle

Most. Comfy. Saddle. Ever.

The gel doesn't seem to make a difference to me (i got one for the track bike too).


That's about it in the gear world.. I also picked up a Sugoi Tactic T for a base-layer, i like it so far! Very light and breathable, doesn't seem to hold any moisture at all.

My first 'big' event of the year is a week Saturday, being the first Trackfest/BC Cup here - woohoo!! Hopefully we get some good numbers. I'm actually organizing most of this race, which is a bit of a nail-biter, but hopefully it all comes together in the end..!

Group ride with the Oak Bay shop tomorrow, i'll prolly try and get some more intervals on Sunday (go away rain!), and Pursuits on Monday, then will chill Tues, rest Wed, do Keirins on Thu, light spin on Fri, and then the big race....eeeep!

Dave Noisy signing off!

From 07-05-25 - NY...

Bradley sent me a cool OA banner - yay!
Also, check out my stockpile of bike foods..hehe