Race Report - Malton Wheelers Monuments Time Trial

Its race time again, 2 weeks after my last race it was time for a hilly Time Trial, which truth be told is not my sort of thing, I like going down hills but not so much the coming back up, and this course is 50% down hill on the way out and 50% uphill on the way back, it could not be more evenly split and you know full well that its going to hurt.

This event was an afternoon race, my start time was 1435 which gave me plenty of time to mill around and get myself worked up, last year I had a nightmare at this race, I got the the start to find my rear brake was binding quite badly, without the time or tools to fix it I set off knowing that I was not going to go well, which broke me mentally, so instead of giving it my all i pottered round muttering to myself about the bike and how I needed to have a stern word with the mechanic (which was also me).

This year I knew that without the brake issue I could go faster, I did a 26:45 last year and I would be pleased this year to go into the 25's.  The field was pretty stacked, some strong riders including Phil Graves, Mark Wolstenholme, Joel Wainman and Jonathan Wears.

I had also not planned to taper much for this race, although Coach Rob had made the back end of the week slightly easier so that I was not totally burnt for the race, I made the decision not to taper because it was hilly so I knew I was likely to be beaten by a number of lighter and better climbers.

Standard pre-race prep, get to the sign on about 60mins before I start, get my number and get suited up, warm up begins with the "battle of the Velotoze"  for those that dont know they are cover that goes over your shoes, made from the same material as swimming caps they offer aero benefits (marginal gains and all that) and the added benefit of HR increases through the pure physical battle to get them on!!

Quick kiss for luck from the wife and the little one and off on my warm up.  Now my warm up is usually 20 mins or so, 5 mins steady pedaling into a build to flat out, a 2 min recovery and then 6x6sec sprints before hitting the start, this time though I didnt quite get it right, the undulating nature of Sledmere meant that I was either going too fast or grinding out too slow, so come the start I felt under prepared but happy to get the effort into the legs, speaking of legs it was sunny and "warm" so legs shaved and time to get them out!

As I mentioned the out leg is pretty much down hill so you know its going to be fast, and really you need to make the most of that to be able to get a good time, or at least I do, so my plan was simple make, make the most of my "gravitational advantage" on the way out and hang on as long as I can on the way back.

Heading out I actually felt pretty good, much better than expected, at the fastest part of the course I was overtaken by 2 cars that then preceded to hold me up, this is part of racing but it is frustrating, so at a point where I should have been doing 40mph I was doing 30-35mph and having to brake, not ideal, but I used it as recovery time.

At the turnaround point which is pretty much exactly half way I had averaged 30mph, now how much of that can I hold?

The way back is a gentle climb with 3-4 kicks, the gentle climbs are fine, I can focus on powering through them, but the kicks are brutal, you are already on the limit lungs and heart trying desperately to escape to freedom, eyes on stalks but you know you need to dig just a bit more, without changing gears I was out of the seat and stamping on the pedals, its only short lived, its only short lived, but its not when you crest the kick you need to get back down to business so the reality is you dont really recover from the effort until you cross the line!

 Photo by Craig Zadoroznyj

3 miles from home, snot & spit all over my face I can almost feel the finish line, 2 more kicks to go and Im there, then dropping down into one of them a tractor causes traffic in front of me to stop, Im doing 30mph+ and hoping to use the momentum to drive up the kick, sadly that was not to be, on the breaks practically coming to a stop, again it racing, but it is frustrating.  

The biggest issue is that I am in totally the wrong gear now for starting off, let alone climbing, but with the support of the crowd and marshalls at that point I grind may way off up the hill.

Thinking thats the race gone I am frustrated but keep my focus and work hard to the line, my frustration is short lived when I see my time 24:35 on the Garmin, thats 2mins:15 faster than last year, thats not too bad at all!!

 Photo by Craig Zadoroznyj

Back at HQ I get some cake and sausage rolls (essential recovery fuel I think you'll find), and then start chatting to the others, I am not taking much notice of the results board until someone says I have 3rd place overall... To say I was surprised was an understatement, i nearly choked on my coffee cake.

So what seems like reasonable early season form is proving so, and the work that Coach Rob and the support from York Cycleworks is clearly having an impact and I am hoping that I can maintain the form for the season.

Next weekend I have a course more suited to me, flat and fast (so I will probably have a nightmare!!!), with confidence up I am hoping for a fast time!

The art of suffering....

So the first race of the season is out of the way, the build up to it was not ideal, 2 weeks ago i had a cold which stopped me from training, then last week I had really bad toothache that was keeping me awake at night, so as the race day came closer I was even more unsure of my form and in a strange way you kind of start to lose a grip mentally, you think that all the hard work will be undone by 2 weeks of no or inconsistent training and that come the start you will forget what to do and head off in the wrong direction.... or get lost.... So despite the fact I know the course well I still check it out on Google Maps just to be sure.

Those who know me are aware that I am a stickler for punctuality, so I with a start time of 1053 I wanted to get there at least an hour before I was due to head off, loaded the bike and kit into the car and left at 0900 for the 46min journey, so in typical fashion I got the HQ at 0940, no speeding involved (I drive a 16 year old Rover 45 1.4 , the list of things its faster than is short).

There was one other thing that had been playing on my mind and that was the fact I had replaced the rear mech, front mech, chain and all the cables on the TT bike as it had all seized up, and I had not ridden it since, there is a story here about when I first built the bike and various parts fell off each time I rode but thats for another day.

Signed on and number picked up, I headed off towards the start, 30mins or so warm up to get the HR up and the legs firing, but first I have the pre-warmup of getting my VeloToze overshoes on, I am really hopeful they deliver big watt gains as they are a pain in the neck to get on!!

My warmup consists on a slow build from resting to Zone 5, followed by 6 sort 6-10 second sprints, then a pedal the start. 

Now, its time to get in the zone, 20mins or so of focused pain and suffering with a gallon of snot for good measure....  but first the pleasantries with the chilly looking start team and then its "30 seconds" and the push off person grabs the bike, time to clip in, "20 seconds", "10 seconds", rear brake off, "5 seconds" front brake off "4,3,2,1..." and away we go.... for about 20 yds where I then have to stop at the first roundabout, not the best start, but time to get my head down.

Uphill most of the way out on this course, mild headwind as well for good measure... ohhh a tandem.... wait, what, focus man, suddenly 120rpm and not on plan, higher gear and on we go, feeling okay.... have to stop again, another roundabout another load of traffic... nuts. ah well its only an early season race, back on it focus.... ooooo a load on motorbikes, bet they are cold... 

At the turnaround point quick recovery as we go around the roundabout, then back on the TT bars and power back on, with a mild tailwind speeds are up and feeling good, heading for the finish.... oh, theres Craig Zad the photographer.... dammit man, mind on the race.  

Annnd across the line,  so managed to get around but I need to get my race head back on, for some reason I was not able to keep focused on the task in hand, I need to remember the art of suffering for the full race distance without losing focus, it will come with more racing.

Back to HQ time to look at the numbers and see whats what, oh and have some banter with everyone, and cake... its mainly about the cake.

So taking a comparison from last year, I was quicker, 37 seconds quicker and 1 place higher, taking 5th overall, which all in all is pretty pleasing, without the traffic I may have picked up 4th or 3rd but thats racing.

So, back to the training, 2 weeks until the next race, a hilly race that is more for the training as its not my sort of course, bring it on!

Photo Courtesy of Craig Zadoroznyj

You have a baby now, why do you still do all the training?

Its an interesting question that I have been asked on more than one occasion, it seems that having a baby should change everything about who you are and what you do, for me though I accept things are very different and training has changed but the thought to stop never crossed my mind, time management just becomes even more important.

There are 3 key reasons that I am absolutely keen to carry on training and cycling,

1. I enjoy it - It gives me time out on my own doing something I love, I can clear my mind and reset allowing me to be a better dad and husband.  My wife also gets the opportunity to ride and train as well and its the same for her, time out of the house away from the little one, time to herself.  Its an important part of life for everyone, including the little one.

2. It gives me something to look back on - In years to come, as my daughter gets older, I can talk to her about the experiences share the ups and downs and say look what I achieved, look what is possible, I think that is important, its not just about what you earn but about what a balanced life looks like, I work hard but I am very keen to have balance between home work and play.

3. It keeps me in shape - I was 18stone a few short years ago, running was something that other people did, I struggled to get up the stairs, the thought of not being able to play with my daughter as she grows scares me, it would be all to easy for me to go back to that weight and that would be terrible for my mental and physical health and I would miss out on so much.

So its simple, it keeps me fit and sane allowing the time I spend with my daughter to be of higher quality and will help make sure that I can support her through earning a decent wage and being able play with her and keep up!

To apply some perspective I train or maybe 10-11 hrs a week, out of 168hrs in a week its not a huge amount, the bulk of the weekend is made up of time with the family, which is time best spent as I get out early doors, often before sunrise during winter.

In other new the guys at York Cycleworks have sorted me out a Trek Remedy frame, just need to build it up, then I can get out and do some trail riding which will take me back to where my cycling began.

Currently also have a cold so off the bike this week, no point doing anything and making it worse or longer lasting than it needs to, hoping to be back out for a steady ride at the weekend.

2 weeks to the first race, should be well over the cold, looking forward to getting back into it, both my wife and daughter will be there to cheer me on.  

Testing, Testing, 1,2,3...

Trying to keep up with the blogs is harder work than I thought, thinking of something to put down on (virtual) paper while being at the very least interesting and if I can summon something funny to add is no mean feat.

With that in mind here we go again...  Last week I was back at York Cycleworks to see Coach Rob (New official name), after a poor test in December we were keen to get another one in to see if it was a one off, or if indeed I had gone backwards from the first.  

There is a funny thing about fitness / power testing, and that is that no matter how strong you are it is still horrendous, it starts easy enough but with every 2 mins comes 20watts more resistance and soon the legs are full of lactic and you are trying to suck in air through every orifice, that said there is a love / hate relationship it gives you quite a buzz.

This time though the results were more positive the loading work that I had been doing late in 2015 seems to have worked, overall power is up, although we have lost some efficiency and fitness, which was expected.

So what has caused this to change so much since last time, well one big factor is weight, I was nearly 89kgs at the last test, this time I was closer 84kgs, I had over indulged in December, I am thinking of starting a blog "things coaches shouldn't say to me", as being told not to worry about your weight and ensure you have the energy resources to do the sessions is translated by my brain as eat everything in sight and use carb loading as an excuse!! 

Still back on the trail of a strong start to 2016, we have 4 weeks until the first race, I am hoping by then to be at about 83kgs which will give me a watts per kg of 4.64, assuming my power stays the same, which is about where I ended the 2015 season.

One of my sessions was also my first outing on the TT bike, after riding the winter bike the position is a bit of a shock, from relaxed relatively upright to bent over double and looking out of the top of my head, it is an awkward position but one I soon got used to.  The biggest issue was my gears, I set off assuming all would be well but after the first 5mins I was just about ready to throw the thing in a field, the gears were not working, the rear mech was simply not moving, I am assuming due to lack of use, but its frustrating none the less.  I stopped, gave it a firm "wiggling" and managed to get it to a point where I had the use of some gears, so set off again.  This is why its crucial to ride all your bikes before you race then, you just cannot be sure what has happened in the garage over a long winter hanging about. 

The session was a 60min TT effort, which after a tough day in the hills was a hard session, trying to maintain FTP for 60mins is brutal and it takes time to remember the hurt, needless to say I didn't manage it, something I am blaming on my bike, obviously!

I managed to average 24mph, and my HR was around zone 3 for the ride, so that does mean that on fresher legs I should be in reasonable shape, I also decided that I need to see the speed I am going as that is a real motivator for me, and I tend to target a specific speed which makes me work harder, so next time I will be looking at speed alongside power.

I have also ordered a thing 20mm rear tyre, my TT bike wont take a wider one for some reason, so I had to run my disc for the above ride and you do feel a bit of a div on a training ride with that on, at least I refrained from wearing the skinsuit.... one to save for racing only!!

Looking to the future, consistent training may become more difficult, my daughter is due to start nursery in May and my wife to go back to work, she is also training again so I can foresee a time where there are some early starts on the turbo to make sure I can do the nursery run, and the rides to work which have been working for me so far may have to be dropped off for a while.

I certainly don't begrudge it, but I am mindful of what it might mean and I am giving some thought to how best to manage that transition.  

Its the small things that make it...

This past weekend was one where I enjoyed the little things, spending time with the little one, my wife and making the most of some time out on the bike.

This Sunday was a really cold morning, I had 2 hours to do and was out before sunrise, it made for a cold ride with an average temp of -4 degrees, this meant that drinking from my water bottle became increasingly challenging...

 That said I saw some fantastic sights, including an Owl, a deer some Hares, rabbits and a beautifull sunrise...

  

For me it was a reminder that small moments are what make it worthwhile and that its the small things that keep us going,

Random ponderings

For a little while I have been trying to think of something insightful and ideally interesting to write, but needless to say I have been struggling a bit.  The CX season for me is over, I am wondering whether to sell my CX bike and more recently its been all about training.

One marginally interesting thing is that I am now only 7 weeks or so away from by first 10mile TT of the year, this is on the V910, its not a flat course but you could hardly call it hilly either, this is a good benchmark race for me as last year when I had only just started coaching i did a 23:24 for 6th overall, a result that I was relatively pleased with at the time.  

Its a good early season race, not too serious that it attracts the really big guns but big enough to get a benchmark and one I would advise people to have a go at, although its always cold and windy so leg and arm warmers are probably needed - If anyone wants to ask anything about it let me know!

I am hopeful that I will better that this year, although I have some reservations, I am currently 7kgs heavier than I was this time last year, I expect that I can drop some of this off in the run up but getting down to 80kgs will be unlikely but on the flip side I am carrying form from last season so it should be an interesting test if nothing else.

Also I have been getting the miles in when I can, now into "base" its about getting some endurance in the legs and focusing on that fat burn and at the moment I am getting about 150miles in a week, with a 5 month old at home that feels pretty good given the fact I have to work full time as well!

I also have another test with Rob at York Cycleworks coming up, my last didn't really show the results we were hoping for, but there are so many factors that can influence it that its hard to say why, but one is definitely  my weight, I was at one point up at 89kgs, even losing just 2kgs I can feel the difference and my efforts on the bike are better and I can breath more easily, so with a bot more off th next test in just over a week should be better.

On a different point I was out with a group of guys that also like to race at different amateur levels, and we got on to talking about coaching and how they didn't see how it would work for them as they like to "do their own thing", "can't commit to the hours" and "train with mates", and I must admit its not the first time that I have been in one of these conversations and its an interesting discussion.

Mt come back is always the same, "each to their own" but don't disregard it without first having a discussion with a couple of coaches, I found a couple of interesting things when I first starting a coaching plan, 

1 - I trained less that I did before
2 - A good coach will be able to build in things that you want to do around the goals.

What this meant in real terms is that I had more spare time to spend with my wife (and now child) and I was still able to get out on group rides and enjoy the banter.

The point about committing to the sets / hours is more about a mindset, I know that some are going to be horrible, I will be in pain for the most of it, but most importantly, that at the end there will be benefits, and that is why I like the structure, it tells me what to do and when all I need to do is commit a few hours a week to delivery and for me thats perfect.

Also for me there is a guilt factor that helps motivate me, I am paying for a service, so by not doing the plans I am not getting best value for money, this might not work for everyone but it helps keep me on track, that said I still miss the odd session, sometimes more important things just come up. 

So, have a chat with a coach about coaching if you want to improve or have a specific goal in mind, most will be able set up a plan around your life that will work and it could be less time than you think.

If anyone has anything to ask I could do a Q&A for my next one based on my experience over the last 4-5 years of pedaling bikes.

Cheers
Rich

Cyclocross, Eating too Well and a trip to A&E...

Well, it’s been a while, a few things to update you all on not least 2 races, a trip to hospital (not for me) and the effect of over eating.

So going back a few weeks there was round 6 of the Yorkshire Cyclocross Points series, this was at Sheffield, a good technical course on a hill… which on the face of it sounds good but add in some rain, wind and mud and it makes for a painful day out.

I knew as I warmed up this would be a tough day, 2/3 of the course was okay for me, the other 1/3 involved running, now most will know that I parted company with triathlon due to my dislike (inability) to run so I knew this was going to be a painful day out.

The claxon went and the sprint to the first corner set off, sitting in the top 20 I was pleased with my start for a change, this was short lived.  I soon went backwards and after the first run up a hill I was rapidly going backwards.  Still this is good training and it is always good fun, although the tackiness of the mud and leaves was adding to the challenge.

It was a day for 2 bikes, my front brake became so clogged up that it was actively braking which meant that going down hill was scary as the brake would just lock up from time to time, needless to say I have to stop more than once to clear the brakes, combined with the running I was happy to see the end of the race, finishing in the top 50 (just)!!

Training has been mixed, being away with work and rubbish weather has meant that I have been unable to get the miles in, which is frustrating but in some ways not a bad thing as I have taken the opportunity to recover.

I have also been back for testing at York Cycleworks with my coach Rob, similar to last time we did a ramp test and lactate crossover test, frustratingly this id not yield the results we were hoping for, I am fairly pragmatic with it really as there are so many variables when you test 12 weeks apart and the differences were not massive, still we are looking to spend some time recovering and retesting in Jan to see if it was due to fatigue.

Needless to say I have been enjoying the build up to Christmas and have been eating a little more than I should and that, combined with intermittent training, has led to my weight creeping up, this came as a bit of a shock when I stood on the scales on Sunday (20^th Dec) morning to see 88.8kgs, that’s up 9kgs since the start of last season, this is now on the plan as something to address as soon as possible ahead of the new season.

I have also raced in round 7 of the Yorkshire Cyclocross series, a race that was organised by York Cycleworks and York Sport village, it was a great day out and the weather was kind (although it was breezy), I was feeling the effect of my extra timber, both mentally and physically but it was good fun to be racing and the crowd was very supportive, unfortunately I didn’t finish as my rear mech decided to self destruct 2 laps from the finish.

There was plenty of York Cycleworks riders racing and once the results come out I will do some name checks.

I have also managed to end up in hospital, not for me which makes a change, but because of my little girl, I was left to fend for myself while Fiona went out with some friends for a Christmas meal, I had no concerns as  I am confident looking after my daughter however that confidence has been tested, in short she got herself very worked up, I am not sure why, to the point that she held her breath and basically passed out, people tell me this is common, however it was terrifying not knowing what was going on and basically seeing your daughter change from being fine one minute to being limp and a bit lifeless the next.

I had rung 999 and the first responder was there quickly, although it felt like an age, he took Erin off me and reassured me, he went away, and did some tests and was able to tell me that nothing was wrong, although whenever a child under 2 has an “episode” it is recommended that you go to hospital, so off we went in an ambulance, typically Erin was fine in the ambulance and smiling and laughing which makes you feel a mug, but I can tell you I have never been more scared and I hope it never happens again.

So where are we now, well I am looking forward to Christmas and some time off with the family.  I have decided to stop racing cross for the time being and focus on training and diet up until the start of the TT season in late Feb, although you can expect updates along the way.

Not the most interesting of updates and I promise the next one will be more timely and in better humour.

Thanks for reading and have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.