Masters Racing (All Disciplines) - Just hanging out shooting the bull

I found out the Winters Road Race (a 24 mile loop that I ride at least parts of all the time) in 8/27, not 9/18 as previously scheduled. So I have that, followed by Esparto TT 9/4. My two favorite races -- I'm excited and ready to finish out the season strong.

After Esparto we need to start running regularly as c_gallagh and I are running in the Big Sur 1/2 marathon in November. Yeah, I know, that should go in Foo.

Ahh, that's right, you told me you and c_gallagh were running the Big Sur Half - as will I! That will be fun.

RR Aug 27th? Hmmm.... :~)

Ahh, that's right, you told me you and c_gallagh were running the Big Sur Half - as will I! That will be fun.

RR Aug 27th? Hmmm.... :~)

I have a spare room if you want to come up Friday.

Hi,

My doctor said I'm cleared to race nationals! :D No racing before then and no "risky" riding. Now I have to figure out how to ramp up my fitness in 12 days with a 2-day drive to Bend thrown in. :p

I have a spare room if you want to come up Friday.

Hmmm...I'll let you know, RR - thank you so much for the offer!

Hi,

My doctor said I'm cleared to race nationals! :D No racing before then and no "risky" riding. Now I have to figure out how to ramp up my fitness in 12 days with a 2-day drive to Bend thrown in. :p

Long intervals on the trainer. Motor pacing at the track would be great but too risky.

Hi,

My doctor said I'm cleared to race nationals! :D No racing before then and no "risky" riding. Now I have to figure out how to ramp up my fitness in 12 days with a 2-day drive to Bend thrown in. :p
Ride to the race just Like Kevin Costner did in American Fliers.:lol:

Ride to the race just Like Kevin Costner did in American Fliers.:lol:

:roflmao2:

Hmmm...I'll let you know, RR - thank you so much for the offer!

Register by Wed. before midnight. We have plenty of room, and you can clean up after the ride, too, if you want.

Chris will grill the night before and be available for neutral feed zone support. :thumb:

Have I tempted you enough yet? :)

My intention today was to ride hill repeats. The Diva had a flat rear tire and I was pressed for time (I'm not fast at changing a tire). I decided to make it a TT day instead.

After a decent warm up I began a workout I've done on the trainer numerous times, on the road once with the Diva. It's 5 min. of high gear/low (50-65) rpm, followed by 5 min low gear/high (90+) rpm. I did that 3 times and took a 5min. break. Repeated that effort 3 more times, which entailed turning into the wind about halfway through, and took a 6 min. break. Did two more sets and then cooled down. 35 miles, 18.9 mph avg. and I hurt more than I thought I would.

The legs I expected to hurt, so I've employed the foam roller. My neck is way more sore than I thought, but then, this is the longest I've ever spent in aerobars. I'm spending a lot of time looking at my cleavage in an effort to stretch. :innocent:

Sunday's team sprint race did not happen due to a last minute cancellation by a team member. Today, I was back at the track getting ready for the final LAVRA Race series at LA Velodrome. 30 lap warmup, 2x100 meter jumps, 3x8 laps behind the motor taking half lap pulls every two laps, 2x 1/2 lap full power standing starts and a 15 lap warm down behind the motor.

I spent a long weekend in PA at out cabin riding and fishing. Riding ended up being better than the fishing due to a cold front passing through resulting in the fish getting lockjaw. I did get to school my brother on some hill riding and race pace riding. He is entered in a citizen race over the Labor Day weekend and wanted to get a hard workout in. During the "race pace" work we were riding on a few sections of road with small rollers and I was setting pace, with him on my wheel, and hitting the rollers as one would in a RR. Everytime he started to loose my wheel I'd yell "HTFU get back on the wheel", and he did everytime and then recovered to suffer some more.

I'll be riding a mtb TT in a few hours and plan to suffer greatly. First effort 3 weeks ago was 50:12, last week was 49:33, hopefully I'll be in the 48's and possibly I'll suffer enough to be in the 47's.:eek:

Old guys rule... Sunday was the elite track state championships. My team sprint did not happen in the morning but, later in the day, the other racer who was committed to my team, raced in the match sprints in the afternoon. He is one year older than me and current World Match Sprint Champion in our age group. He came in second against the elite sprinters.:roflmao2::D He set a PR 12:00 second flying 200 which was good enough for 5th out of nine. However, he then proceeded to beat the faster guys on tactics in the head to head sprints to take the silver medal. I said, from now on we will refer to him as Sir Mark.:D

AJ, I liked the HTFU and get back on my wheel. Tomorrow is an easy ride and then I fly to LA Velodrome to participate in a tough 3 hour training session where I plan to suffer immensely.

Had an almost totally clean mtb TT tonight. Only a few small bobbles and one time at a top of a short steep pitch I smacked a root and lost all momentum then needed to unclip and push off with one foot to get going again. I knew that I was turning much better using a new technique but still could not ride fast enough to be at the red line level. The turning technique is to "dab" the inside bar when turning, much the same as turning in a crit where you push down on the inside bar to carve the turn. End result was a 3:13 improvement over last week's effort with a 46:20 time. At the evil elevlated bridge, that bashed my ribs a few weeks ago, I rode it clean warming up but in the TT I crossed it cyclocross style and kept enough speed that when clipping back in I was already going down the stairs at the other end.

AJ, Amazing improvement over the previous week.

On a different subject, I thought the pro racers in Colorado were spinning very slow. I guess it makes sense to use less cardio if you can.

This weekend was the masters district criterium championships. The President of NCNCA invited the USADA to perform doping tests. 16 racers were tested including winners and a couple at random. USADA paid the bill $20,000 but will not for future events. There has been a lot of discussion and it is mostly positive. Results will be in 3 to 4 weeks. The real issue is how to fund testing without significantly increasing the cost of racing.

I'm on a 2 week mid-season recovery. At the end of today's seasy spin I decided to see what was in the tank going up the last hill before turning onto our cul-de-sac. I got a new 30 second PP of 888. After I loaded it on the computer I decided to go out and try again but just missed my goal of 900W by 3 watts.:(

I bet if I tried it again a third time I could have done it.:innocent: All I needed to do was stay on the effort a few more seconds, the power curve was going up and down within the 30 second span

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr256/sru75/30secondpprecord.png

AJ, Great numbers. You are getting scary strong. Those will you serve you well in during the cross season. I am in LA and racing tomorrow. I had a great track workout yesterday. I did a couple of one laps and 500 meters behind the motor. It was the first time I did a flying one at the 250 track. I was behind my coach and we used a two lap wind up and then dove off the 38 foot 45 degree bank. The G forces were amazing. It was the fastest I have ever gone on the track. I am putting together a team for Elite Nats Team Pursuit later in September.

Hermes, AJ, I say you fellas are in peak form right now! This is great stuff to read! Good luck this weekend.

Hope you do well this weekend Hermes. Your fitness seems to be high. Does Elite Nationals have age divisions?

Hope you do well this weekend Hermes. Your fitness seems to be high. Does Elite Nationals have age divisions?

No. This is the real US Track Nationals where the pros and best racers show up. In previous years, one had to qualify. This year, there are no qualifying requirements for timed events. For mass start races, one has to be a Cat 2 or better. I could have a 25 year old pro on my team. However, we could probably not hold his wheel. So, my goal is to assemble a team of similar ability racers. Our goal is to compete. The team pursuit is a blast and at LAV it is amazing and we get to do it on a national stage.

Interesting. I have a powertap so I can see a continuous heart rate when I download the data and view it. Once in a while in very hard efforts, like road races (when I'm getting dropped), fast climbs, etc. I've seen these momentary spikes for a few seconds. I'm about in your HR range (my age is 60) - in a time trial, I'll stay at around 160 or so. These spikes can go to 180 or 190 which is nothing that I could ever sustain. Outside of a few PVC's and PAC's (when I was worked up ten years ago), I don't have any heart problems. I have no outward symptoms. I don't want to ask the GP because they'll do the same - work me up, and tell me to get on with my life when I'm not about to keel over.

So my thought was maybe this is similar to you. So if you find out, let me know!

Jim

Hermes and RR, waiting anxiously on race reports!

My wife and I flew to LA and competed in the final LAVRA cup event of the season. To score in the event, one has to compete in 3 races (there are 5 race events over a 6 month period) and the total time of the best 3 events is your score. My wife continues in her winning ways. Unofficially, she won the 500 meter TT and the 2k pursuit. This is not age differentiated but an open category and today, she set a PR for her 500 meters. Winning a LAVRA jersey at LAV is a big deal - highly coveted.

I raced the flying 200 meters, the 500 meters and the 2K pursuit. I set a PR for the 500 meters at 39.86. Breaking 40 second in the 500 meters is the gold standard which is very hard to do. I am really happy. My 200 meters was okay with a 13.3 seconds but I was hoping to get under 13. It takes practice on the 250 track and this was the second flying 200 that I have done on a 250 track.

I did the flying 200 first followed by the 500 meters. After about an hour wait, I did the 2K pursuit. I had a plan to get a 2:45 to 2:48 time. I had a good starting lap and then settled in to my plan. I felt really good and found myself hitting my targets - which is generally not the case. The middle laps, which can be difficult, felt easy and I lifted the pace for the last 2 laps for a 2:47.72. My previous best time in LA was 2:49.x. It was hard but I felt okay at the end. I was accelerating and my legs were not loaded up. So considering the previous racing, I am happy with the result.

As far as warmup for the event, I went out with some racing buddies and we did 60 laps at 22-24 mph and then 10 fast laps. I did a couple of laps at bridging power.

And I put together for Elite Nationals. The problem is all the racers are better than me so I have some work to do.

Here are a couple of pics from my flying 200 meters.

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/rallen94402/2011%20LAVRA%2082711/RFAFlying200.jpg

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/rallen94402/2011%20LAVRA%2082711/RFABalastrade200.jpg

Congratulations to you and Velo Diva, Hermes! That is most impressive, impressive indeed! I love your "I only get better" mantra, and you prove it every time. You are truly an inspiration.

I just got back from my second annual "California Dreaming" trip. Just me, my dog, and my bike. 2 nights in Santa Barbara and 3 in San Diego (old home town). I did 240 miles and over 12K of climbing in 4 days:

Santa Barbara: Lake Casitas loop - 75 miles with coastal and inland paths and roads
Santa Barbara: "Ridge" - 5K of climbing over about 10 miles of the 40 mile loop
San Diego: "Elfin Forest Loop" with one other rider; 45 miles
San Diego: Carlsbad through Camp pendleton to San Clemente and back (Group); 80 miles

Fantastic time!

AZT. Great trip and some of my favorite cycling is SoCal.

I'll post a report on the trip when I can, as I think how I found and followed the two solo routes I did is interesting. By the way, I had what one guy called an "epic blowout" Saturday. Going through a fast stretch in Camp Pendleton, we hit some potholes. I tried hopping one, but only got my front wheel over it. Rear wheel blew with enough force to take one of the tire beads off, and so it was rim on pavement as I controlled the bike to a stop from 25+. Tube was looped around a brake pad and then wrapped around the axle about a zillion times. Wheel is still true and no apparent problems after replacing the tube, but I almost joined the 50+ accident recovery ward. Whew...

.....I tried hopping one, but only got my front wheel over it. Rear wheel blew with enough force to take one of the tire beads off, and so it was rim on pavement as I controlled the bike to a stop from 25+. Tube was looped around a brake pad and then wrapped around the axle about a zillion times. Wheel is still true and no apparent problems after replacing the tube, but I almost joined the 50+ accident recovery ward. Whew...

None of that! Glad you're okay - you must have fantastic bike handling skills, AzT!

Great results with PR's Hermes! Take that momentum onto Elite Nationals.

My wife and I spent the weekend in Western PA at our cabin. I got to ride some steep hills on the road bike, gravel roads with the 29'er and fished the pre-hurricane bite and post hurricane "non-bite". On Monday my wife and I rode on the paved rail trail along the Allegheny River for 26 miles at her pace which was very relaxing.;) I did catch a bunch of little smallmouth bass and one tasty walleye which was 80% of 2' and 5 lbs.:D

I'm glad everyone is doing well and enjoying their waning days of this summer. Reading about all of the PR's is delightful! Who says 'age is an issue'?

Me, I've had a funky, lackluster, almost miserable last five weeks. It's been almost like a grand conspiracy of some sort. I crashed just as I was coming into my own, pushed it on the recovery and made things worse, and then work and the miserable foggy weather around here has taken the heart right out of my desire to get back. My enthusiasm has just withered, my motivation is weak, I hurt physically, and I've gotten into a funk because I seem to be heading right back to where I was four years ago - lazy, lethargic, and glued to the couch - with fatty food in front of me. I haven't been in this sort of mental state in ages, and I'm really unhappy about it. I hold the key, I know that, and I have to find my way out of this. I'd better, that's for sure.

I'm off to do the Tuesday Group Ride - I hope it goes well for me mentally.

I'm sorry for the whiny vent...

I'm glad everyone is doing well and enjoying their waning days of this summer. Reading about all of the PR's is delightful! Who says 'age is an issue'?

Me, I've had a funky, lackluster, almost miserable last five weeks. It's been almost like a grand conspiracy of some sort. I crashed just as I was coming into my own, pushed it on the recovery and made things worse, and then work and the miserable foggy weather around here has taken the heart right out of my desire to get back. My enthusiasm has just withered, my motivation is weak, I hurt physically, and I've gotten into a funk because I seem to be heading right back to where I was four years ago - lazy, lethargic, and glued to the couch - with fatty food in front of me. I haven't been in this sort of mental state in ages, and I'm really unhappy about it. I hold the key, I know that, and I have to find my way out of this. I'd better, that's for sure.

I'm off to do the Tuesday Group Ride - I hope it goes well for me mentally.

I'm sorry for the whiny vent...

Sara, you are new to the competition side. You are also a chick so a little whining is OK. There are peaks and valleys on the journey and you need to let time pass then jump back on the train. The harder one works out and rides the more often injuries can occur resulting in resetting one's goals. Less than 2 years ago I went to the doctor to find out if there were any new procedures to treat my left ankle which had no cartilage left. The solution to the ankle problem was fusion which was the best option for living a normal life and not so good for cycling. After a few months I was back to normal and probably a stronger person since I was determined to overcome the new limiter.

Enjoy your group ride and the people making it up. Getting back to what you like to do can fuel the desire to achieve and excel. Most everyone has those moments when we need to adjust our attitude. Recently I let my coach know that I needed some time to just enjoy riding and spending some time with riding buddies and not concentrating on specific workouts. We decided to take a 2 to 3 week mid-season break with any rides that I wanted to do or just do the recovery routine. I’ve had a blast so far and am now mentally ready for Cyclo Cross season and some had training again. I’m excited to have a mtb TT tonight, my first cross race Saturday, and I may even do a hilly road race on Sunday.

Thanks, AJ! Very much. :~)

Sara, sounds similar to what I was going through, and that I think I am finally coming out of. There are lots of factors that can push against the enthusiasm and momentum, and injury is certainly one of them. I don't have any great insight, and the factors working against me were mostly different: a disappointing finish and a dearth of family support. I agree that doing the kind of riding you like best should help, and if you do lots of that, maybe it can help turn the tide physically? I suspect that, if you do enough fun riding to turn the conditioning momentum around, it will get you over the hump and back on track.

Sara, sounds similar to what I was going through, and that I think I am finally coming out of. There are lots of factors that can push against the enthusiasm and momentum, and injury is certainly one of them. I don't have any great insight, and the factors working against me were mostly different: a disappointing finish and a dearth of family support. I agree that doing the kind of riding you like best should help, and if you do lots of that, maybe it can help turn the tide physically? I suspect that, if you do enough fun riding to turn the conditioning momentum around, it will get you over the hump and back on track.

AzT, I did the Tuesday group ride today as I said I would, and - well - I had one of the best rides I've ever had. I won't bore you or the others with the details, they're sort of irrelevant, but I will say some of the group always does a sprint towards the end of the ride. I was third. Pent up anger, frustration, mad at myself for the pity party? I don't know, but today, unlike yesterday, I had legs. Nothing hurt (except my mood), and after I warmed up, I let it go. That hump you spoke of? I think, I hope, I may have crossed it. I'm going to take your advice on the "fun rides". I'll do more.

AJ, you're right, too. I'm a chick, and we have our moments (don't we?). I'm a tad off of absolute center of female behavior, in that I rarely get down about anything. It normally takes quite a lot to challenge my upbeat outlook. That crash and the result was "quite a lot". It was a new experience for me, I have never hurt myself that badly before, and I misjudged (through denial) how physically damaged I really was. I'm a new athlete, I don't know these things, and I'm having to find them out, sometimes the hard way.

I keep reading, hearing, being told that 90% of performance is mental. I'm beginning to get that. As a girlfriend told me (again this morning, thank you Cath!), when running there are good runs and bad runs and bad miles in good runs. You learn to work through it.

And you know, there is nothing quite like kind words from the people you respect to wake you up and get you moving.

Thank you, fellas!

Sara, your positive outlook, and your willingness to accept a challenge, is always inspiring. Thank you! And congratulations on the great ride!

Hey, just want to wish Cleave and Hermes good luck at the Masters Championships starting tomorrow in Bend.

Strut your stuff guys!

All the best to Cleave, Hermes & VeloDiva.

Hope you all have tailwinds, no flats, and starch in the legs.

Saturday was the Winters Road Race. 48.5 or so miles with 1990+ feet of climbing. It's flat, rollery, big hill, flat, repeat -- a 24 mi. loop. The 5s &4s did 2 loops, the 3s 3 loops, the P/1/2 4 loops.

During my warm up I identified my goal for the race (to bring honor and glory to the team as I was the only W4 racing), identified who I wanted to be ahead of, and at the very least to finish (two years ago I flatted).

I was comfortable in the pack from the start, and stuck with them, reeling in the few breaks that were attempted before the hill. When we were in the rollers before the serious climbing, where the road narrows, twists and turns, a moto neutralized us so the P/1/2s could pass. We went into single-file mode, and when I came around the corner found that a group had made a breakaway, and there was no way to catch them without killing myself.

So I hit the feed zone, grabbed a bottle from c_gallagh, enjoyed the chalk messages & verbal shout-outs, and pressed on. I dropped more of my group on the steep parts and got pretty reckless on the downhill -- I ride these roads all the time and know them intimately.

On the flats again I caught a couple women from my group, and the group of 4 of us worked well together, cheerleading, encouraging, taking strong pulls and keeping a steady wheel. One of my targets was in the group -- the other got off with the fast group.

Not surprisingly the rollers again separated us, and I rode about 5 miles on my own, including the feed zone and beyond and over the hill again. Screamed downhill again without holding back, emboldened by my desire to be ahead of everyone behind me.

I passed a lot of casual riders, some of whom didn't understand "on your left." So I hollered, "Don't move!" and that helped a lot to keep people in their places. One of the 3 of my previous group caught me and we worked together and she said she'd pull me for the sprint.

So suffering, speeding, feeling quad muscles trying to cramp, eating, drinking a 5-hr. energy drink, racing, we come to the 200 k sign, she does her best lead-out and I stand to sprint and voila! Legs got nothing! So I sat down and road across for I think 25th place of 50 riders. Still haven't seen official results.

I averaged over 19 mph for this ride, a PB for me. I knew I'd worked but wasn't so blown that I could ride 4 mi. for a warm-down and then attend a wedding and birthday party afterwards. Between events the compression tights and foam roller were my best friends.

I finished well ahead of my target, and 2 min. behind my other target (one of my TTT members), so I was pleased. That I finished ahead of some of the CAT 4 & 5 men was a bonus. *cheesy grin*

Hi Folks,

Greetings from Bend, OR, where I have just finished getting stuff ready for tomorrow's TT. Ran into a big problem. My TT extensions were longer than the legal limit and I had no way of cutting them down before tomorrow. I made some adjustments to the bike and read about how to get a morphological exemption and will do my best to sit on the bike properly tomorrow morning so that I can race. This is not going to be pretty.

Other than this added stress I feel pretty good considering my lack of training leading up to this. One benefit of my time off the bike (though I don't know why it happened) is that I lost a few more pounds. I am just south of 150 lbs so we'll see if that counts for anything during the road race.

Red Rider, sounds like a great race for you. Maybe I should reduce my race count and focus on a couple of races per year like you. :)

Congratulations on the PB Red Rider and best of luck to all.

Hi Folks,

Greetings from Bend, OR, where I have just finished getting stuff ready for tomorrow's TT. Ran into a big problem. My TT extensions were longer than the legal limit and I had no way of cutting them down before tomorrow. I made some adjustments to the bike and read about how to get a morphological exemption and will do my best to sit on the bike properly tomorrow morning so that I can race. This is not going to be pretty.

Other than this added stress I feel pretty good considering my lack of training leading up to this. One benefit of my time off the bike (though I don't know why it happened) is that I lost a few more pounds. I am just south of 150 lbs so we'll see if that counts for anything during the road race.

Red Rider, sounds like a great race for you. Maybe I should reduce my race count and focus on a couple of races per year like you. :)

I hope it all works out and they let you race.

Hermes and Cleave, good luck! I know you'll do well - despite the "added stress", Cleave.

RR, you rock, girl! Next year I'll be on your team. I promise! That sort of ride is right down my alley. Hey, big hugs and congratulations on the PR! Wow!!

I am home and not in Bend, OR.

I know you cannot get enough pictures of me so here are a couple more courtesy of our LAVRA photographer. She does a spectacular job of shooting great track shots in difficult lighting and speed situations. In my flying 200 meters, I went by a 35 mph so it is really hard to capture an image perfectly on such a short track.

Flying 200 meters.

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/rallen94402/2011%20LAVRA%2082711/RFAFlying200Benson.jpg

2K Pursuit

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/rallen94402/2011%20LAVRA%2082711/rfacloseup.jpg

BTW, I have not seen a picture of AZT on his bike.

BTW, I have not seen a picture of AZT on his bike.

Come to think of it, neither have I...hmmm. :~)

Good point. My only fairly recent photos were from the San Diego Century, and they just didn't seem good enough to procure. And I'm afraid an attempt to have my wife take one wouldn't even go as well as that approach did for AJ.

I may have to actually win a race to get a decent shot!

I find it hard to believe that a man with 5 iPhones and a trainer cannot take a picture and post it.:p Actually, we would really like a better picture of the coach.:D