CF, I don't get why you think you are last when there are DNF's. Just doing the race is a victory, then finishing it while hurting is even more admirable.

It seems that you have learned some things that you need to do to assure better success the next time. The fact that some thin young fools can strap a bike to their feet then beat the crap out of us old men does not make you less of a rider. Look at the positives and find ways to improve on your weaknesses and race plan. Congratulations on doing something on a bicycle, in front of many, that most people would not attempt in private.:thumb:

Thanks! Well I would to have beaten more than the lone unicyclist up the hill. Yea - I could bask in the glory of beating a few DNFs but that just doesn't seem right to me. In any event I need major humiliation to motivate me to loose some more weight, get to the gym and work on core strength and not slack off over the winter. :lol:

Thanks Cleave
Hermes and I went back and forth on HR in another thread, likely I was not in Z5 even though my heart rate was 184, that says my max is probably higher than the 195 I thought it was. ore likely I did the race in Z4 which isn't good either. The problem with that climb is that the steepest bits are the first and last mile where the grade is probably over 9%, every where else it is 8.5% +/- 0.5% so once you get your heart rate elevated at the start there is little if any chance to get it back down with out stopping. I am going to have to another practice run at it and see how I can control my HR better. Maybe in late Aug when I am up that way again.

On 7/10 is the Greylock Century - we climb Greylock (2700' - 9 miles) in the first 25 miles and then 4 more peaks for a total of 10K vertical, not a race but I do want to see if I can log an under 6.5hr saddle time for that, a typical rolling century I can do in under 6hrs but this will be much tougher. Maybe I can drop another 5lbs between now and then, would make it a lot easier.

CF-as you are learning managing exertion at the start is important so you don't peg out too soon. You just have to go a lot easier than you think you're going. We've learned this in our TT's that you just can't completely jump into top Z4 in the first lap without paying for it mightly in the last 1/3 of the event. It has been so hard for me to go that easy the first lap-but I'm still going plenty fast enough.

If you finished starting as fast as you did you did a terrific job. I'm not a climber-I can climb pretty much all day but I just don't have the power to get the top end speed a lot of folks do. There is no way I'd ever enter an event like that as I know that is my biggest shortcoming and would finish at or near the bottom.

Good for you for taking it on!

+1

Results are in!
Although I was next to the last guy across the finish line (there wa a unicyclist behind me) because of the way they staggered the starts (I was in the last group) I was unable to really tell my time. To my amazement I was no where near DFL - I had better times than guys (and gals) in most every age group except the under 30 crowd. If you count the DNF's I was about 32 from the bottom. So although not a stellar time it was not as bad as I thought. Now to start the process of improving that time for next year. There were pics posted of the race - and I sure didn't look like a light weight going up that hill, I gotta loose 20lbs before I try to compete like that again.

There is another shot at this race in Sept that benefits the ski race program my daughter is in, if things go well over the summer and there is time I may try it again then, but for sure I'll set my sights on June 2011 and gear up my training program for that event. If I participate in any "race" events this one is low enough key for me.

Thanks for all the words of encouragement.

Happy for you CF! Why not begin the commitment now?

Every chance let go is one that may not be available next time around. I too have battled racing weight and am currently in the low 180's and have to work to stay there. I have gotten to the point where every time I am tempted to eat or drink something I'll ask myself if I really want it. I do eat hamburgers and enjoy them, but not frequently and will ask for an alternative for the fries or chips that come with the plate. After a while "racing decisions" become part of your life from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep and eating is more a "refueling" decision. The trick is to bring racing into life's mix in a balanced way by substituting some of the things that are not good for you or time wasters' while still doing the things necessary to have a career and family.

Hallelujah. I knew you were not DFL. I have participated in enough events similar to this one that there are some who show up that have minimal training. NOW, you have it all. You registered, started, finished and conquered. Welcome to the club.:thumb:

Oh indeed - I need to be very careful loosing weight as I tend to loose muscle mass. I have a scale at home that measures %body fat, (resistance at both hands and feet) which although not accurate does give me a pretty good trend of where it's going. I did not put the feedbag on after the race - starting the process of driving the weight down. I will go back to Wed PM hill training next week as i prepare for a mountainous century 7/10. I have enough non timed events coming up between now and the end of Sept to keep me in training mode, I just need to maintain that focus over the winter.

Thanks for the encouragement!

With respect to cycling performance, I would not worry about muscle loss too much. We have some very skinny racers in our club who produce tremendous wattage. On the Sierra Road hill climb (Tour of California did this climb) KOM 3.7 miles 10.5% average grade, that we did before the tour, one of our guys did a 20:xx and BF's Pizza Man beat him by 30 second for the win. From our simulator, the power to climb Sierra Road in 20:xx is about 360 watts average power for a 140 pound rider. Now there are many reasons why one does not want to lose muscle mass but it does not seem to affect cycling performance.

Personally, I do not want to be that skinny and I want to keep my muscle so I will not be a great hill climber. However, at 170 pounds, I would have to produce 420 watts to do the climb in 20:xx. So on this climb, without correcting for aerodynamics (same profile), it translates to 2 watts per pound. Today, a 265 watt average power climb would be a great result for me which correlates to a 32:xx climbing time. Most of my Cat 2 /3 buddies are 280 - 300 watt guys.:cry:

So for climbing steep climbs, weight off the body or off the bike is extremely important. It is very hard to produce 350 watts of average power for 20 minutes.

Hermes,

Interesting observations. When I meet with the PT next week I will explain to her my goals and get some suggestions. Of course you are correct, brute strength and sustained power are two different things, goes back to the power vs torque thing, you don't need brute strength to put out a lot of power at high RPM.

I don't want to be that skinny guy either and for what I do in the winter I need some raw leg strength. I also find it uncomfortable to be below 160 lbs - I get cold too easy, and in Northern NY that is not a bonus, I also stop enjoying life because I have to give up too many indulgences.

So I figure I will shoot for a me of around 160lb plus add another ~20 for cloths, water & bike, try to up my watt output by 10% by getting stronger & improving technique and also get rid of some friction in the drive train. If I successfully do all three I should take 20 minutes off my climb time, come in around 1:10:XX and be able to place in the middle of the pack. I would be totally happy with mediocrity (at least for next year) and as an added bonus I should be able to hang with the A group on club rides. You - BTW are probably putting out 30% more than I do.

As far as weight - if I can go back to loosing ~ 1 lb/wk then I think I can keep my strength, that has worked in the past.
As far as technique goes - spin classes seem to help with pedal stroke and maybe the PT who does TRIs will come riding with me to pick out other deficiencies.
As far as friction goes, a few changes to the bike. Not all that expensive as the bike is now 3 years old with close to 10K miles on it - some of that stuff would need replacement anyway (good justification for the spouse).
As far as watts, that PM may be in my future - but man that is expensive. Believe it or not - some times I get pro deals on bike stuff (through some of my various other activities).

So those are the goals I will give the trainer next week - let's she how she converts those into a plan.
BTW - the first place time was 44:53 - almost exactly 1/2 my time. He must be a 300W+ kinda guy. He was from Ottawa in the 30-39 age group.

What was your time and climbing feet per hour? Please post a pic or link.

Results at: http://www.whitefacerace.com/bikeresults.html

Don't want to get too specific as then it would be easy to put an actual name on it.
I would PM you with specifics but you have blocked PMs.
Picture from the race photo album - at the finish
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