Originally Posted by
Jancouver
BTW just for comparison.
jancouver--was very nice to meet you this past weekend. i understand the point you are making about the speed of your race (and i don't doubt that it was fast), but there is so much hiding in averages. just as average power can lead one to make the wrong conclusions about a race, so too can average speed. fields might be shattered in 2-3 minutes' time, while the rest of a race is 'easy'.
if one rides 400w for 1' and 0 for the next, repeating for 2 hours, is that more taxing than 2h @ 200w?
the reason i mention any of this is that i think honest assessments are necessary for identifying weaknesses and, ultimately, for growth. you certainly have a ton of enthusiasm.
Originally Posted by
Jancouver
Just wanted to add some numbers since I didnt post any official report as there really isnt that much to report. The bottom line (at least for me) is that I left it all out there but unfortunately it wasnt good enough. At 6'5" I will always carry more weight and steep climbs are just too tough for me.
please don't ever sell yourself short. you never know what you might become in time. yes, you are tall (you also said you are 187#) -- our cat 3 winner towered over me, and i'd estimate he was 185-195 pounds. did i mention he crushed the hill climb? my point here is your size is NOT the limiter.
someone wiser than me once said, "if you think you can you
might; if you think you cannot, you
won't."
Originally Posted by
Jancouver
J
I think I raced smart and positioned myself well and finished the race completely spent. It is mentally hard to ride alone for two laps when everyone on the sideline is looking at you "being the loser who got dropped".
i can understand why you might think that, but i'd be willing to bet a ton of money that every single spectator on the sidelines is in awe of anyone that suited up to tackle that course. regardless, the opinion of someone on the sidelines who is not racing isn't terribly important anyway.
Originally Posted by
Jancouver
Almost two hours above threshold (already bumped the FTP) are my witness. Obviously no sprinting was involved as I got dropped so no high numbers for the short duration numbers. I cant sprint anyway hahaha
do you work on your sprint? please see above!
i just met you, but with your enthusiasm i believe you can surprise yourself.
Originally Posted by
Jancouver
JBTW Looking at these numbers, I feel even more pathetic riding the 20min San Dimas TT at just 319W as even here my 20min NP was 347W and I was shooting for at least 350W. But that is a whole another chapter. Dont ask
it sounds to me like you might have rolled into the ITT seeking a best-ever day (i'm guessing AP=350 would have been a personal best). you just can't predict that. a more realistic goal for time trials is to think about what you do on a typical training day; in this case, what is your typical AP on a 4-mile moderate climb? use that as your guide for the first bit, then dial it up or down accordingly. best-ever days will happen, but they are rare by definition. if you aim for them, you're setting yourself up for disappointment 99% of the time. race how you train, at least for an ITT. it takes a TON of the pressure off. it adds unnecessary stress when one trains at, say, 325w for 20' but then expects to see 350w on race day.
Originally Posted by
Racer Ex
That's a fast Cat 4 race on that course. Congrats on making the time cut and glad you made dinner.
i'm definitely glad YOU made dinner.
for those who don't know him personally, R-Ex loves this sport and has an incredible generosity of spirit; he made it possible for me to race this weekend. words cannot describe what this man does for the sport and fellow racers.
mattm--sorry that you didn't have the most stellar ITT and RR, but solid work in a tough crit.
i'll go out on a limb and say that not a single racer, regardless of their category, had an
easy road race.
i look forward to returning to race there again -- but also to ride some of the myriad stellar routes. putting race results aside, i'm sorry i didn't have a solid month to train out there. phenomenal!