Tucson training/ racing camp day 3.

The last day of racing...
Ahh what we'll do for 30 bucks...


The circuit race today was… snappy. The 5 mile loop had some fast big ring climbs a sharp 6% section at the top and some long sweeping down hills. The slight head wind on the down hill section made it very hard for a break to make it. But we still tried. Allot!
I followed several moves that looked good, bridged to one and made a big late race effort with 2 other riders. Nothing made it today but the pace was high enough that several riders did get dropped. Nick also made a fine move with 2 laps to go but again it was brought back.
Everyone stayed up right and the top 3 today were all placed close to me. After the respective time bonuses I fell back to 10th on GC. I was a bit disappointed at first but I did everything I could have done. It was simply bad luck that 2 rides directly behind me on GC scored time bonuses. And with the down hill right hander before the finishing straight I was not going to elbow into that in the full pack.
The legs felt better today and I felt good about my tenth place and my activity. A solid TT effort, 50+ miles in the breakaway on day 2 and lots of attacking on the last day.
Now we are trying to figure out how to ride mt lemon and get back before 1pm.
25 mile climb at 260 watts, 4.3 % grade, plus the decent, it’s a 50 minute drive…
I need some more food, my head hurts. More pics and vids to come!!

day 2 re-dux.

breakfast Belgian style!

VIDEOS:

pre-race tunes:

pre-race:

post-race: the "wheel scuffle"

The road race to day was pretty solid racing I must say. I very smartly attacked in a perfect spot at the perfect time early and we had a nice break going. The issue was that there where only 3 of us and no one from the 2 larger teams. The wind got tough but we gave it out all. after 50 mile or so we were caught. Some counters went. Nick covered, then, after a little sitting in to recover, I went to work trying to keep things together for the sprint. Nick has been racing at the new velodrome in Boulder and while this was our first race I thought he could put it together and nock out a good finishing kick. The attacks were fierce and the speed very high in the last 7 miles or so.
Group after group would get 50 meters and it was devastatingly hard for me to turn the speed necessary to close the gaps. With 3K to go we had it all together again and the sprint was on. Nick got into perfect position coming through the last turn, 3 wheel 150 meters to go. a slight cramp cost him 2 or 3 spots but still had the finish in his sights. Then a touch of wheels brought 3 riders down. As Nick maneuvered around them, wheels locked, he was hit from behind and our stage placings when with him.
He is OK, a few scrapes but pretty minor all in all.
We raced well. Sometimes things don’t go your way. he racing was good. Aggressive, smart, positive, hard racing. And we did what we set out to do, be factors and ride hard.
I moved up to 8th on GC after some crashes and maybe people getting dropped? Not sure.
So we have some work to do. Should be another tough one.

The drive was a success. We took it easy and did it in two days, having the “hook up” in Albuquerque . After our arrival we had a very nice Tucson style ride. A few climbs, narrow roads and great scenery.

3:12 aand 3:21pm start time tomorrow. http://www.tucsonbicycleclassic.com/ttstarts.htm send us some good vibes! We’ll take a morning spin on the course check thing out, and just give it our best go. while I would be lying if I said we were not looking to perform well, it is our first race and were are just super happy to be here in the warm and hospitable land of Tucson, AZ and looking forward to 3 days of racing and 5 of great training! TT tomorrow… Stay tuned!

Tucson stage race, day 1

funny sign on our drive...


The TT today was great. Some windy conditions but at 8 minutes it gona hurt no matter what. I posted a 7:52 which was good for 12th place. I felt good and judging from my time, the wind and my pre ride in the morning at an upper threshold wattage I would estimate I did between 370-380 watts for the race effort. not a bad effort for my self.
With this being our first race of the year and being so far from our local scene we realy didn't know what to except. One thing is for sure the So-Cal and local boys came to play!With a short TT the times are close. 2 others riders has the same time as I did! At 12th I am 37 sec. form the leader and Nick is at 1’ mid pack. We imagine that everyone will be racing to win tomorrow. There’s no doubt it will be a tough one!
Pre race Nick was kick’n the NIN and fatboy Slim trying to get some samples up. how do I up load audio files??

Spring Trainning Update

The winter group ride in Boulder, one of the best in the country.


Spring is coming fast in Boulder this year. We have had several days of 60+ degree weather. This makes for some easy motivation and big group rides. The famous weekend group ride in Boulder is about 2.5 hours long and usually attracts over 60 riders! With lots of cross winds, a steady pace, and a stop to regroup after the Carter Lake climb/smack down, this ride is a lot of fun and makes for some great training.
I participated in this group ride, along with two of my clients, just this past weekend. I am always careful with group rides and urge caution with my clients as well. Too much of a good thing can be bad for the legs and end your season early if approached the wrong way. For me and my two clients this past Saturday, the training was perfect. With all of us preparing for the Tour of the Gila later in the year, this fast, flat, windy ride makes for great stage one preparation. We finished off the day with a steep 30 minute climb. The ride was fairly long, 4.5 hours or so, while still being quite intense.

I ended up producing around 3500 kilojoules and had spent 30 minutes in the red zone.

I had mixed feelings about one of my clients dropping me on the last climb of the day, but I knew it was coming. While I was disappointed that I couldn’t respond to his brutal pace, I couldn’t be happier about his performance. He is responding to his program better than I imagined. He will be a major player this season.

In other news, racing season has started. While I skipped out on the first race of the season, a teammate and I will be headed to Tucson for a three day stage race this weekend. Check back here soon for real time updates from the race.


No one had enough air on the ride

to chat but evening plans

were still made before hand