Hermes

I am down to the last couple of workouts before Nationals. Speed, speed and speed... go fast but do not load up the legs. The concept is to keep the legs fresh while I continue to recover.

AzTallRider

Okay... you guys that raced this past weekend are late with your reports.

Allegheny Jet

I had a tough weekend of racing at the Midwest Regional Masters. On Friday my brother-in-law and I traveled to Cinncy and timed the effort to pick up our numbers and TT start assignments. What started out as a good day turned bad by the hour. The promoter established a pickup point in a casino from 6- 8 PM. We seemed to have plenty of time but the GPS took us on a off road excursion into Indiana backroads, that wasted 1/2 hour, then when we did find the casino there was only 25 minutes in which to obtain the race packets. The instructions did not state where to pick up the packets and casinos also have hotels and conference centers. I drove around a parking garage for 20 minutes looking for a spot that did not exist, so my brother-in-law jumped out to pick up the packets while I found a parking space. I never did get a parking space and Dave was only able to find the people on their way out and could only get his packet because the rider needed to sign. So we started to drive to the hotel when they called and said that there was an electrical issue and 1/2 the rooms were without power and that they booked us in another hotel. We decided to stop for dinner and reached the hotel @ 10:00 PM. We checked in and get our bikes and gear and took the elevator up to our room to find a single queen bed. We are close friends, but not that close, so took another trip with everything down the elevator to the front desk. They only had a suite that allowed smoking left so we took it. Once in the room I began to unpack only to discover my container of powdered Gatorade had come open and mixed in with all my clothes and kit. After the cleanup I finally got to bed at 12:30 knowing that I needed to be at the registration table in a town 25 minutes away at 7:30 AM. Oh, did I mention that the temps were predicted to be 95 - 97 with a heat index of 110? OK, enough moaning now the race reports.

9:18 AM 10.6 mile TT over a rolling course with a 110’ of elevation gain over the start point. I did not want to kill myself since I had a 43 mile RR @ 1:08PM. I took it out good, had a lapse from mile 4 - 6.5, when I only averaged 267 watts, then finished good. I averaged just over 25 mph and finished 5th. Had I pushed the pace, and after the fact know I could have, I could have been 33 seconds faster and finished 3rd. Looking at my power data I need to HTFU and pedal downhill just as hard as on the flat. The guy who won our 55+ group had the fastest time of any racer and averaged over 30mph!

Our road race was a 4 lap event with a climb every lap. It was 97 at the start of the race and the climb began as soon as the race started. The big guns attacked from the get go and split the field into three groups. I did not try to go with the lead group and ended up in a group of 7-9 riders once we finished the first climb and decent. Over the next couple laps we dropped some riders and picked up a few leaving 8 riders in our group going into the final climb at the beginning of the last lap. I was really feeling the heat at that point and didn't want to push the climb so I took the lead going into it to set the pace. One 60+ rider was on my wheel/side and I just paced myself off him. When we got to the top there were only 5 riders left and 3 of them were in my group. Over the next 8 miles I began getting cramps in my hamstring and calf and drank every drop of fluids left. I did take bottles in the feed zone and totaled 5 full bottles of Gatorade with added electrolytes during the race. We were all taking pulls up to about 1.5 miles to go, even the 60+ guy who didn't have to. The cat/mouse game started with 2 miles to go and I just sat behind and responded to any accelerations and escape attempts. When we got to the 500 meter mark someone jumped and we all held on until the uphill finish @ 200 meters. I timed my sprint and gear perfectly and gapped everyone with 100 meters to go and won the field sprint by a good margin. Once back in the parking lot the 60+ rider congratulated me for taking 3rd. I thought he was messing with me and I said "hey, I won the sprint!" when he responded "didn't you know you were sprinting for the podium?” Well, no! I ended up 4th overall in the race and 3rd for the 55+ race. We had to wait about 45 minutes in the hot weather for the podium ceremony when they called one of the guys I beat in the sprint up for 3rd. He wasn’t there and his teammate, the 60+ guy in our sprint and I told the officials about the mistake but they would not believe us. They wanted the guy who took 4th to state his position and he had left the site. We had chips on and apparently my chip didn’t register. They then moved the podium back and after about 45 additional minutes in the heat we finally did the podium and got to go back to our hotel.

Sunday was once again in the mid – 90’s with high humidity. My crit was scheduled for mid afternoon and my brother-in-law’s was at 11:30. I had tried to stay hydrated and in any shade available while Dave raced and the long time prior to my race. My race was only 30 minutes long and with the heat factor that was long enough. The crit course was only .5 miles long with 6 turns and a 44’ hill that was about 1/3 of the course. When the race started I missed clipping in and ended up at the back of the field. The big guns attacked from the get -go and I spent the first 3 or 4 laps just trying to move up in the field of popped riders and bridging up again and again. When I finally got to the back of the lead line I took a very bad line, through a tight turn at the bottom of the hill, hit a pot hole, wobbled the bike and lost the field again. There was no way for me to make up 6 – 8 bike lengths as maxed out as I was while the group was racing down the home stretch at 30+ mph. I rode out the race solo and picked off a few spent riders and did get passed by one guy. At the end I was 5th and the guy who passed me was 4th in our age group. Only 3 guys, 2 – 55+ and 1 - 60+, finished together at the end. I figure that since the race was so short they just put the hammer down from the get go. It was not good news to hear the race announcers referring to the blistering lap times that exceeded all other Cat 1, 2, 3 races held for younger age groups as I was riding past the start/finish.

All in all it was not a bad weekend of results even with the distractions and heat and humidity. We left before the GC results were posted but I believe I was 4th in the 55+ Cat 1,2,3,4 field. The guy who passed me in the crit was 3rd. His TT would have put him in 3rd even if I beat him in the crit based on the point table.

Possibly the highlight of the weekend is that another rider accused me of being a "climber".

AzTallRider

LOL. Better than a trophy!

Sounds like you made the most of it, and that there are some really fast Masters in the midwest. 30mph TT for 55+? Yowza!

Hermes

A'Jet, Great result. Accused of being a climber... I love it.

AzTallRider

Okay, so last week was sort of an unscheduled rest week. I let a combination of humid heat, long hours at work, next race 2 months away, the Tour being on TV in the mornings, and some other pressures overwhelm me, and I wussed out on 2 scheduled HIT workouts for the first time ever. It was the culmination of a major funk I was working myself into. I did some commuting base Wed, but that was it until the weekend. Sat I did a club ride, then added base to get a total of 85 miles. Sunday, I did a "Silent Sunday" hillclimb, where the cars are kept off one of our mountains for the day, giving cyclists free rein. Was thinking of doing it twice, but only did one trip up: 7 miles and 1,800' with some steep sections. Total of 45 miles. It is harder to wuss out on longer rides because, well, you can keep going, and then you need to get back. Finally, this morning, I got back into it and did my 2 sets of 4x40s @450w LT intervals on the way in. Felt great, and I think it signals the end of my funk.

sarals 

AJ, holy mackerel! That was a great report. It's odd, but I've noticed down through my years when a trip starts off bad it usually ends really well. You proved it!

30+ MPH at 55+? That guy is a monster.

So are you, AJ. Even though you are a climber!

Hermes

I arrived in Trexlertown, PA on Sunday. We went to the track on Monday around noon for a workout. Ten minutes later it poured rain for the next few hours. My wife and I got soaked. We finished the workout on the trainer in our hotel room.

Tuesday was the start of racing and it began with the Kilo. We had 95 racers signed up. My wife and I arrived at 7:30 AM and got in a solid warmup before the track became crazy. With lot of riders it starts to get more dangerous just due to the volume. We set up our equipment and began the waiting process for the 500 meter time trial to begin.

I was paired with a very good friend and last years National Pursuit Champion (He is very good at 500 meters as well). We were seeded second last of a field of 16 in the 60 to 64 age group. It is finally our turn to race and by now the sun is out and it is hot and humid. My heart seemed to be beating harder. I thought it was the race but I think it also had to do with the heat.

I had the best standing start ever finishing with a 40.187 which was the fourth fastest time and I made the podium. At US Nationals, there are 5 medal positions. This is my first individual medal at Nats in track and I am so happy. Two of the guys that beat me are buddies who went 1/2 at Worlds last year and the 3rd place guy I do not know. The 5th place racer just aged up and was a former Olympian in 1972 for Trinidad / Tobago and I hear is a great pursuitist. Tomorrow is the 2K pursuit. It will be a similar format and timing as today.

Lots of great racing and performances.

sarals 

This was not a race, but a "back in the saddle report". It felt like a race!

I rode today, short loop, sort of taking it easy. My recovery has gone backwards. The road rash got really bad two days ago, and at about the same time I started to notice rib pain. To top it off, my left hip blew up, followed by my whole left leg. It seems every ounce of fluid I drink goes right to that leg. It's purple, swollen, ugly, but - it doesn't hurt. I took the last two days off, but I had to ride today. I had to! I noticed a loss of strength, but it came back a little once I warmed up. I did take it easy.

My Look 566 seems to be finally sorted out after the crash, too. It took as hard a hit as I did, and sorts of things on it were knocked asunder. It now has new tires (Kenda Kaliente L3R Kevlars), which I really like, and it's been tightened, adjusted, cleaned, and lubed. It's performing well. I wish I was!

Remember the heart rate issue I was having? Well, just last night, two friends got together and gave me a Garmin Edge 305 with the heart rate belt and cadence sensor. I tried it today, and wow - my heart rate looks like it should! By the way, I had a Garmin 305, but it was borrowed, and I had to return it. This one was a gift, and I am ever grateful!

By the way, for some reason the Garmin got the date wrong. It's supposed to do dates automatically, so that's a mystery.

Here's my numbers.

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/101940602

sarals 

Hermes!!! F A N T A S T I C !!!! Congratulations!!!!

AzTallRider

Hermes, you are truly an inspiration! Congratulations!

Allegheny Jet

Great result Hermes! A National podium!!! Hopefully the trend will continue through out the week.

Allegheny Jet

I raced in the B race at today's Tuesday Training Race. I didn't want to be beaten down by the studs after the weekend's races in hot weather. It was only 86 degrees today with lower humidity. I raced at the front the whole race and even put in several attacks trying to set up a split in the 39 rider field. The Cat 4 and 5 racers just don't know how to suffer in order to establish a break on the flat 2 mile circuit. After one prime I attacked and pulled the field for 2+ minutes @ 450-500 watts and got everyone strung out then no one would take a pull to keep it going. They must be referring to the "cranky old guy" since I was barking out some orders and no one obliged. Those same guys will jump on any attack hoping there will be a break that will never happen because the chasers wont take pulls to get away. The race came down to a mass sprint and I ended up 4th. It must have been "young gun day" as the 3 kids who finished ahead of me totalled 49 years when their ages are added together. I did hit 37.8 mph on my sprint but was under geared and only had a 5" ave of 1,030 watts. I need to do some work on spinning out gears on the street in front of my house this week. That's an aspect of my training that I have not really worked on this season.

Cleave

Hi Hermes,

Great job! My goal has been to do a 40 sec 200m TT. I still haven't gotten there yet. I assume Velo Diva has some medals waiting for her.

Keep up the good work and I hope the rain stays away.

BTW, my teammate, Pat, and her husband, Michael, are out there too. Pat won the 70+ Women's 500m TT from what I understand.

Cleave

Hello AJ,

Sounds like you're showing some of those younger racers that it's not just about sitting in and sprinting.

sarals 

AJ, those are impressive numbers! So are the finishes. I'd say you're fit! And fast. Wow! Congratulations!!!

Red Rider

AJ and Hermes -- congrats and well done to you both! You're both showing great form, speed, and results from all your hard work. I'm impressed and proud of you both.

Tonight was the Putah Creek Smackdown, 40K edition (usually it's a 10 mi. out-and-back; this year the organizers added 4-40K routes. This is #3). Light and variable wind, 90+degrees, <50% humidity. Near-perfect conditions on a near-flat course with newly-surfaced roads. I shaved 9:24 off my last PR (late May, on my Orbea Diva) for a new PR of 65:15. I could hardly be happier -- I critiqued my performance and noticed I went out hot (24-26 mph x 10K) and how I was slower on the 2nd and 3rd legs, concerned that I wouldn't have much left for the final leg. I averaged 24.1 mph on the last leg. Finished blowing like a racehorse.

I think I'm ready for some racing now...

Allegheny Jet

Great job RR! That is a very good time for a 40K TT.

I still protect myself in the middle of my TT's and need to learn to HTFU. When I look at the power files after the 2 TT's that I done it looks like a big wide U with adrenlin driving the first third, my baby side driving the middle third, and my pride driving the last third attempting to hide my baby side.

sarals 

Red, you're Wonderwoman! You tore it up, sweetie. WTG!!!

Hermes

I woke up Wednesday morning with sore to the touch legs - My warmup on the track for my pursuit was fine. I managed to invert my result standings in the pursuit compared to the 500 and come in 13 of 16.

I guess I had the race of my life in the 500. I just buried myself. In the pursuit, I could not get it going. That is racing.

We had some smoking times in the pursuit and my friend who won last year came in 4th with last years 2nd place taking 5th. So this year, we have a tough field.

I am thinking about taking my aerobars to an aluminum smelter, getting a Dolan sprint bike with the new narrow carbon drop sprint bars and focusing on the 500, team sprint and match sprints.

I have 3 days off until the team pursuit on Sunday. Once again, the really fast guys have teamed up and it is going to be a slug fest. My team will have to totally bury ourselves and each have the race of our life to do well. This is what racing is about. Doing the extraordinary.

sarals 

As you all know, my season is over just as I was starting to hit my stride. No matter, there's next season. I think I can still get back to running in time to be able to at least run in the Big Sur Half Marathon in November. Maybe!

Guys and gals, I'm your biggest fan, as you've been my biggest supporters and inspiration. I wish I could be in the pits, the sidelines, and the stands yelling at the top of my lungs for you...that way you could hear me!! I'm behind each and every one of you, and I'm proud of you.

Cleave

Hi Red, great synopsis of your ride and great result. I'm sure you have a lot more data to analyze.

I'm finishing up a 4 week block of training (month of July) that was focusing on endurance and weight loss. I'm at about 925 miles and 10 races for the block. After coming off a small peak in June and a short rest at the end of June (vacation), it seems like this block was moderately successful in terms of training effect and less so on weight loss. I will move on to a 3 week phase of hill climb power and then a week of tapering before the nationals. It looks like I'll need the hill climb power for both the ITT and road race. I just hope I don't lose too much crit fitness.

In any case, this year is primarily a scouting year as I intend to head up to Bend next year (Masters nationals are in the same place 2 years in a row) as a newly-minted 55-59 racer. Of course I still won't be as fast as the fastest guys but hopefully I'll be faster than a couple of 59 year-olds. (Probably not though.)

Anyone else on this forum heading to Bend this year?

Hermes

RR, 65:15 is a smoking time for a 40K ITT. Just being hunched over on the aerobars for an hour is an accomplishment.

Allegheny Jet

I got on Facebook at the request of my HS classmates as we got organized for our 40th reunion. Last night one of the kids, with braces, who beat me in the Tuesday Training Race requested we be "friends". Oh boy! a 17 yr old Cat 3 racer and I have a lot in common. Hell his dad who comes to the races is younger than me.

Hermes

At least you will not have to debate the value of cycling shoes, clipless pedals and bike clothing and he will not bore you with his glory years when he was 8-10 years old (half his current age).

At the track in LA, one of the juniors was trash talking with one of my buddies (we are the same age) and the junior says, "he does not seem that old. He is more like the crazy uncle I wish I did not have."