Leroy TT 08/30/07

Pacing, quick plans, adapting on the fly and overcoming. Is this why I love Time trialing so much? I am not great thinker really. I mean you wont hear me quote Macbeth or Emerson at that perfect moment when a profound quote is required. But I do love arriving at the time of a TT and then its Showtime baby!! Its time to warm-up and listen to your body and see if its saying good legs, bad legs. Then its looking for clues to the wind and feeling and comparing this night with other nights. Its looking at the speed your carrying without trying and guessing what speed that will be at threshold.

Man I am realizing I am making a pretty big deal out of a training TT, but that is just it, training is when you put all your planning into action and to try things, push the envelope and see how you do. That is a pretty big deal.

I can feel that we have a wind thats only about 5 to 10mph and its blowing from the north. Its pushing me on the out a little, but its not much. When the right hand turn is made and the course starts to head up its a true tailwind. This also means that on the usually very fast 3 miles in it will be a tad slower and I can feel it.

The plan is to go a bit harder on the out than last time on 8/2 to make sure I capitolize on a cross wind thats gonna push me along, but very important not to go so hard as to blow up into the wind on the in.

So I am off and as expected I am going quicker than last time. I am bouncing above and below threshold, but maintaining a higher pace all the way. So as planned I push a bit harder, but again, pace!! In fact approaching the turnaround point I am 3 mph quicker up the rollers. I go 16 seconds faster to the halfway point than last time. 24.4 to 24.9mph a 0.5 mph increase.

On the in I am disregarding wattage completely, but when I do see its its pretty high, but my HR again is a few beats too low. No bother, its a lot cooler tonight and maybe I am still a bit tired. I am pretty sure I am going as fast as last time so I am confident a new record time for me is in the works (and maybe a course record?). The 2 mile then 1mile markers zing by and if I havent said it 20 times already its WAY COOL to be rolling along at 32mph on the clipons listening to the wheels and the wind rush by-oohh and loud gasping sounds, control the breathing too.

It turns out I was slower on the in to the tune of 8 seconds from the 2nd. I'll need to do some analyzing of data mile by mile to see where I lost time, but I sure felt like I was flying. I fly past Jim at 33.1mph in a time of 17:05 and 26.9mph ave speed. I have bested my previous time by 11 seconds and averaged 5 more watts and 0.5 more mph. I dont break anything but my own best and Matt Weeks 16:45 remains safe.


My last mile tonight was 0.3 mph faster than last time so maybe conservng energy paid off for blasting the last mile. But again, I will analyze more data to see where I was underperforming to see where I can chip away at those 20 seconds.

When I spoke with Matt I told him that his time was unreal and its gonna stand for awhile and I feel even more strongly tonight. I know what its gonna take to go 20 seconds faster and it wont be easy. Jim paid me a nice complement and thats that when he sees me coming he says I a look really smooth and fast. By comparison other fast guys look more powerful, but all over there bikes. Being what I call quiet is somethng I strive for. Nothing moving that doesnt need to be as any extra movement wastes energy and causes more drag.

So the planning paid off and I have gone faster with more watts then last time. I lost time on the in, but that could be as much weather as effort (as was the increase of speed To the halfway point). Did I say I love time trialing? I do.

Snake BIte at Westlake

So I miss Westlake last night as I just previously mentioned and my teammates have an awesome night. Going for primes and winning one, racing against the best legs Ohio has to offer and taking it right to them over and over.

I have been pushing and maybe lately berating just a little bit my very strong team mates that they have what it takes to take it to the Baldesares and Hopkins and Batkes. It was great to read John Ehrlinger's blog http://ehrlinger.blogspot.com/2007/08/wetlake-worlds-82107_29.html and see that they rode aggressively and got off the front so many times.

Way to go SBR (John, Gary, Rick, Chris, Dave)!! Sorry if I sound like I am trying to take even just a tiny bit of credit for this, I know its bad manners, but its definately a "I told you so" kind of moment for me.

clearing the mud

The mind is a terrible ting. Or is it a minds a terrible thing to waste? Either way my mind was telling me to get on the bike and ride, but to not think. Is that strange? I find that after awhile my mind starts to rebel againts itself and it needs to be allowed to run free and have some fun.

I do this by having zero objectives on a ride. I chose to skip Westlake for two reasons. One was to not be tempted to go all out because I have a Time Trial on Thursday and two, I just didnt want to have to be decisive, at all!!

So I join up with the club ride and just open up the throttle here and there with some stomps on Old Mill, Sherman, etc. but mostly I whine and complain and joke around with all the boys. I find that this kind of riding though maybe not good at bringing about any sort of positive training adaptations sure is good for the soul.

And hey whats more fun then going 50mph down Old Mill and trying to get Rachfal to laugh..."hey whats your name, do you ride this way often..." I guess youd have to be there for that one. But now I am recharged mentally and ready. My legs feel great this morning, they have that buzz that says We felt like you did some hard riding last night, but didnt kill us.

But more importantly my mind is no longer arguing with itself about training vs rest vs intervals vs easy day vs commiting to objectives and on and on and on......

Lead Baboon!!

I just spoke with Jack Sutte via e-mail about his JCB biathlon. Get this, he was lead off course not once, but TWICE and several times he had to check up because the lead car (an officer) was going too slow and he had passed it. Hey, I have nothing against officers of the law, but who in the world did they put in the lead car???

JCB Biathlon Relay Team

You would think with so many competitors at this event that warming up on a trainer wouldnt seem too odd, but I suppose in the world of multi-sport thats an odd thing to see. So there i am sweating my butt off warming up for longer than my actual event as I keep an eye out for when my runner Chris Martino (some of you will know him, hes a manager at Bike Authority) will arrive in the transition area of the Bellefaire school.

The first runner comes in and hes blown everyone away. Soon after some extremely fit looking guys come in like Jack Sutte and get on there bikes and roll out. I also see the first woman come in who sort of related is the fiancee of Mike Vanucci also of BA. Mike rolls in then a bit later Chris comes in. Chris has gone at his own record pace and on a hilly course so thats sweet.

I wait to get his attention which in retrospect was dumb as this is again a game of seconds, but thats ok. We roll out down some side streets and riders are everywhere and I am literally weaving down Milton, Landon, Green and Shaker to go around them. We hit Brainard and they bring us to one lane and there are so many riders in front of me. I check up and then realize the single lane lasts till Gates Mills so I start (using a nice tone of voice-mind you) yelling for a clear lane and reaccelerate. The rollers on Gates Mills arent too much of a problem, but it seems there is some odd winds because my speed donw the rollers is not nearly as fast as I know it can be. Not a straight on headwind for sure, but annoyingly not helpful. In the back of my mind I hope its tailwind home.

We hit the turnaround in a housing complex and when I enter the ~1 mile section I see the leader Jack Sutte coming the other way. This has me hopeful that I am setting one of the fastest bike legs (which is a goal btw) because he left the transition area way ahead of me.

The leg home is difficult as I cannot seem to get my heart rate to move. Its stuck at Threshold and I want it to move up 5 to 8 beats higher and it wont. Its also hard to mantain wattage and of course speed. Very annoying and the wind is still definately not helpful. But on the brightside I am passing very few riders now and its a blast going through every single stop sign and stop light at speed. These roads are my usual roads so its fun to get to do them like this.

I hit my marker for when its time to hammer it home and as I cross I think Sulgrave John Ehrlinger is telling me I am 4th!! Wow-I dont know how many cyclists I have passed, but it felt like a 100 so being up to 4th is awesome. At Green Rd I hear my wife shout so that gives me more speed. Brents instruction to me today was pass every single rider you see so in the last mile I see a rider and I am pushing hard to catch him.

Turns out it is Jack Sutte who had been lead off course by the lead vehicle-how absurd!! I dont have any idea how far he had to go before coming back on course, but my wife said he was cursing like a madman!! I dont blame him.

So in th end I fly inot the finsh area and completely miss the lane to slow down to hand in your number slip-rookie!! Chris and I win the relay team by a huge margin and for what its worth we get 4th overall. My time in the TT was 29:17 I think at 26.4mph. I really thought I could go faster and I think with better legs and less crazy wind its possible, but all in all a fun and very challenging (and bumpy at times too) course.

Will I do it as a true biathlon next year??? I doubt it, but you never know. I dont know how I would fit in 25 to 30 miles a week of running is the biggest problem. Thanks to Chris Martino for being my Relay teammate!!

Marshalling and Baclava

Nothing like spending the entire day Marshalling and then going to a Greek festival for dinner. Beer and Baclava are carbs right?? Anyhow I got to seee some sweet racing (sadly in 28 minute long gaps over 5 hours) today as a marshall and the Valley View race is put on with such attention to detail!!

Thanks to all the racers who remembered to thank a marshall!!

11 hours and its time for me to hit the Shaker streets for another time trial (relay team for the JCB biathlon with CHris Martino running) I raised a little money and that felt good too. I will have to raise more money next year.

the curse of Euro Hill CR

Two times to Euro Hill and two times no race. Maybe its Tom Kellers and my fault??? Weve jinxed it? Tonight new and thick chip and seal made in some riders eyes a dangerous situation. A fall on chip and seal at 30mph really didnt seem appealing to me either so instead we were directed to a cool loop. It used Bellus that included 5 corners and a long stretch of downhill rollers at 46mph max speed and on two different streets 11 to 13% short hills that were a real bear to climb. I'll try and mapout the course on Map My Ride for others to use as a training loop.

Heres the loop: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/oh/hinckley/500312183