waterrockets 

What are your goals for the 2009 racing season? "A" races, training, wattage goals, new tactical successes?


Mine:

• Lap a cat 3 field in a crit
• Get someone who's wearing my kit onto the podium in every single race
• Be forced to upgrade to Cat 2
• Have a virtual bulls-eye on my ass for the whole season
• Do a few more races (maybe 15 total)
• 375W FTP for peak 1, 390W FTP (5.0W/kg) for peak 2
• Spend some social time with my awesome teammates, even though most live in other cities. BFers know RX and EDR at some level, but this whole team is just deep with a lot of heart and great guys.

gsteinb

Good thread.

I'm not saying.

dmotoguy

• Podium a Road Race, tt, and crit as a 4.
• Elkhorn Classic: Either top 10 in the 4's or help my team in the 3's.
• upgrade to a 3
• 300w+ ftp

El Diablo Rojo

To actually be in the same zip code at the finish with either X or WR.

jrennie

trade in my 2 for a 1

substructure

Top ten in most of my Cat 3 races
Win at least one Cat 3 race
Race a few extra Masters Races
Upgrade to Cat 2
Take a good butt kicking in the ProAms

kensuf

Help my team to as many podiums as we can get in either the 35+ or 3's.

DrWJODonnell

National TT championship

(not solid yet) Take a stab at the masters hour record.

timmyquest

Cat "up" to...umm....well...5

*hides*

huytheskigod

Race for the first time. Actually stick to a training plan (already 3 weeks behind )

timmyquest

No you're not, you've got 5 weeks before it even starts

umd

To upgrade to cat 3 early in the season, actually try to be competitive, and to finish in the top half at Everest Challenge as a 3. I'd also like to try to hit a FTP of 5 W/kg...

wfrogge

1. Crush as many CAT 4 souls as possible before going back to 3.

2. Raise FTP to mid/upper 4.x w/kg (depending on how much weight I lose this off season). Doing a FTP test this Saturday to see where I currently stand.

3. Have fun.

JPradun

Seriously? 5W/kg as a cat3? You guys need to get an accurate PM or stop lying...or stop being lame sandbaggers.

2009 Season Goals:
Top 10 - Collegiate Nationals (crit) A-race
Top 20 - Collegiate Nationals (overall) A-race
Top 20 - Tour of Ohio (overall) B-race
Top 15 - Any P/1/2 Superweek race (eek) - B-race

And finally, to do any one mountain bike race...on a borrowed bike, probably.

2010 Season Goals (prelim):
Podium - Collegiate Nationals (crit) - A-race
Top 10 - Collegiate Nationals (overall) - A-race
Top 10 - Any P/1/2 Superweek race - A-race
Obtain cat1 license

Unfortunately, collegiate nationals is in May, Tour of Ohio is in June, and Superweek is in July. I'll let you know if I figure out how to hold a peak for 3 months

ericm979

Help teamates in some races.

Get an upgrade point. I don't think I'll ever do well enough to upgrade to a 3 but I'd like to finish high enough to get a point.

Get a top 10 finish at Everest Challenge.

tbrown524

1. Actually finish a Masters 1-4 race preferbly in Top 20
2. Upgrade to Cat 3 by April
3. Top 10 in the Cat 30+ 3/4 BAR series.
4. Do a race in Texas.

umd

Dunno, I'm sitting about 4.3 right now and I'm waaaaaay off my August peak, where I was sitting maybe 4.7 or so (didn't have a PM then, just estimating based on times/efforts on similar climbs/rides). At my peak I was becoming reasonably competitive as a 4, won a race, had some other good placings, but hardly blowing anyone away. If I can begin my season where I was this year before my injury in Early September (my ribs, not my collarbone), I think I will make my way out of the 4s quickly enough, then I will have to see. I've heard mixed things about the 3s, so I'm not going to make any predictions. All I will say is that my physiology favors longer events...

Edit: Also W/kg is all well and good for climbing (and maybe sprinting), but obviously it comes less of a predictor of performance on flatter courses. For a steady state effort on flat ground, it wouldn't matter if my FTP was 5W/kg, only that it was a measly 315W...

cmh

1. Keep it fun.
2. Be active in nearly all races either working for team mates, getting into breaks, or in the running in the final sprint.
3. Win a race. (I've won a race every year since my return to cycling, but they were Cat 3 and 4 races. If I meet this goal it will most definitely be in a 40+ race or a weeknight 1/2/3 race.)
4. 3 top tens in weekend Cat 2 road races or crits.
5. Podium in a weekend Cat 2 road race or crit.

umd

Yes, that too!

oneradtec

Well I've been out of racing for several years, so it's just going to be great to get back again. The first goal is to spend the winter building a good solid fitness base.

Beyond that, I'd like to...

1-Win a Cat 4 race
2-Upgrade to Cat 3 by end of season
3-Podium at the Tour de Moore(cat 4) in April(Southern Pines, NC)
4-Get on with a team after cat up to 3.

Other things I've set my sights on as big races/events are the state/district time trials, state road race, and perhaps mix it up in a few master's races for the first time.

Longer term, maybe 2010, I'd like to go and mix it up at the Master's Nationals(especially the time-trial). So watch out Dr WJODonnell, I'm gunning for ya in 2010!...LOL!!

Enthalpic

12 chickens.

umd

Who you callin' a chicken?

DrWJODonnell

It happens. I don't know what it is like out your way, but on either coast I would not say that it is impossible by any stretch. We have some strong cat 3's here.

ZeCanon

I've always a bit confused how these guys with 4.8-5w/kg don't win every cat 3 race they enter. You do realize that on the Coggan chart 5w/kg is the middle of cat 1, right? I never had a cat 3 race that ended with an average watts over 3.6 w/kg.

My goals:
5.1 w/kg (but I'm not a 3)
Be a 1 before I can drink legally
Podium at collegiate Nats, probably in the road race (bring it on JPradun I'd go find some hills if I were you...)
Top 20 at Pro mtb nationals
Get a better contract for '10

wfrogge

First off Coggan's chart is just a rough idea. Second most of these strong 5 w/kg guys like to lead the majority of the race or do other stupid energy expending moves that let guys that are in the 3.x w/kg range win.