Prior to updating the blog with today’s post, I reread my last post. It was April 30th, and I had just completing or close to completing Speedweek. I was struggling with back pain at that time, but that was more to do with the intense crits at warp speed lasting 90 minutes. My back was in better shape then, but that effort will leave soreness regardless. I was planning to add some short and intense intervals similar to my training, but it never happened. I took some good fitness into a few hard and long training rides on Tucker (Sat) and Tues Night Crit (Tues) which probably helped lead to getting sick. My doctor wasn’t sure if nasal and ear infections would be tied to fatigue in training, but it is an interesting coincidence that I was peaking right when I got sick.
So, the hard and intense intervals were never started, and I piled 2 weeks of antibiotics instead. Now that we are almost in July, it leaves an interesting decision on where to focus training. One school of thought to focus on those harder intervals while the other thought is focused on adding a little more fitness. So, I’ll try and split the difference. I’m racing two crits this weekend which means less duration and fitness building in favor of harder and shorter efforts. The surges in the crits creates exactly the training my body needs to get back into shape. In last night’s crit, I had the fitness, but my 1 min – 5 min power was really low. Ty Magner and Oscar Clark rode me off their wheels. This isn’t surprising and would happen if I was in top shape, but if I was in top shape, I would have been able to get closer during my bridge effort and lasted several minutes longer prior to exploding. Last night, I can see my 1 min and 5 min power down about 10 – 15% even though I came in decently rested. With the Georgia Cycling Gran Prix coming in less than a month, I need to add 1 day a week of 1 minute and 3 minute intervals to regain at least 5% of that power without adding too much fatigue for racing. I’m hoping to fit these into shorter 60 minute Thursday night training rides and then cruise around easy on the back of the Chastain Group Ride. I’ll combine that with Saturday Tucker, Sunday Silver Comet Tempo, and Tuesday Night Crit + Kennesaw Repeats.
So, again, that’s the plan, we’ll see if I can follow the plan better this time and avoid injury / illness. Step 1 is race #2 of Dingo Days Criterium tonight at 6:20pm in Flowery Branch. Since Ty and Oscar are not racing tonight, it should a little different race. Normally when they show up, it’s easy because they drop everyone, lap the field, and then ride tempo for the field. Last night, the race started hard with attacks and counter attacks. I was hoping to avoid going with any early attacks and await Ty and Oscar’s attack. However, Ty or Oscar took turns going with each early move from the gun. The first attack on lap 1 had Novo Nordisk attack out of turn 3 with Oscar alone for the ride. I sprinted up to the move and it was brought back easily about a half lap later. Immediately, Novo counter attacked and again it was either Ty or Oscar that was in the break of four. I didn’t want to go again so early, but they started to roll fast. I sprinted up to this move and noticed the field wasn’t chasing due to the representation. Novo had two riders, Hincapie had one, Litespeed-BMW had one, and then there were two others. This move was eventually brought back too. This went on over and over for about the first 5 laps. Each time, there was representation from either Ty or Oscar. Finally, one of the moves got away. It probably only took about a lap before both Ty and Oscar were off the front. I chased hard for a half lap and then gave up. Remind me never to do that. If I’m in top shape then I have a 1 in 10 chance of bridging that move, but I knew coming in that my numbers were down 10 – 15% in 1 min and 5 min power, so it was stupid to even try. People say you can’t race with numbers, but if you consistently are putting out numbers that are much lower than normal, it’s a good indication that any move which is normally hard for you will be nearly impossible to sustain the power required. Again, you don’t need to be held captive by your power numbers, but you don’t want to be stupid either. I often see guys with what I know is low power putting crazy hard chases while I’m picturing the story told in every elementary school about Don Quixote. Maybe that is only California schools where I grew-up…. In any event, it was about a man who was a dreamer and couldn’t face reality. If you put out 4.5w/kg and think you are going to chase down someone who puts out 5.5w/kg, you’re dreaming. Even on a good day for you and a bad day for them, you’re dreaming. Cycling isn’t all about power, but it is about power and w/kg for given durations under certain conditions. There are a lot of variables, but every racer needs to be able to process those variables quickly and determine if they have a chance to stick the move or bring back the move. Yesterday, I didn’t process that information on my most current fitness and power levels, so it was a move in futility. Fast forward, I floated by to a chase group of six consisting of 3 Novo Nordisk, 1 Ridley, 1 DIY, and me. With 8 – 10 to go, the Ridley guy crashed in turn 1. I got caught behind the crash and skidded into the curb while the DIY and a Novo guy rode away. I didn’t go down technically even though I softly hit head on into the curb causing me to unclip. I checked my bike and quickly sprinted after the two up the road. I chased for about 1.5 laps before I latched back on exhausted. I was thinking that it would stay that way and decide 3rd place until Ty and Oscar towed the lapped field back up to us about two laps later. Then, they went hard off the front again. With 5 to go, there was another group of about 8 riders. I had a teammate attack with 4 to go, but he was pulled back quickly, and then there was a split as the riders pulled in behind the two caught riders. I realized a little late that they were getting dropped, so I hate to sprint across about 50m to catch back on with 3 to go. It got fast with 3, 2, and then at 1 to go it was very fast. With 1 to go heading into turn 1, it was still slick and the crash was fresh in my mind. I was running about 105psi on new tires, and I felt unsure in the turn with painted lines. Two Novo riders came up on my side and tried to go two wide through the turn with me. I didn’t chance anything and told them to take it easy while I braked and floated a couple riders back. Going into turn 3 it was Oscar, Ty, DIY, and two Novo riders I let by me. Then, heading into turn 4 the Novo rider attacked. Ty and Oscar went off the front with Oscar leading out Ty and then sitting up. I chased from turn 3 and got passed as I essentially led out Novo rider. He took 3rd, and I got 4th. I did way too much work prior to turn 4 to have any legs left to win a pack sprint. Couple that with allowing two riders in turn 1, and my fate for 4th was sealed way before the actual sprint. It is like I tell young riders, don’t talk about how you did in the sprint, tell me what you did in the last 3k leading up to the out of the saddle sprint. The best sprinters are typically out of the saddle sprinting up the side further toward the front four or five times heading into the final sprint for the line effort. That is often their fourth or fifth sprint, not their first sprint. So, focus on developing the ability to sprint several times in a row and recover rather than being super efficient tucked into the draft perfectly placed to get boxed in. The best sprinters are sometimes to the men with nerves of steel, but often they are the racers with the best recoverability and strength to sprint over and over with 1k to go.