Podium!

I've been working with Andy for a little over a year and a half. In May, under reeeeally muddy conditions, he raced to a second place finish at the Coolest 24 Hour Race. This weekend he placed second again, this time at the Coolest 24 Hour Race Boggs Mountain, under fast and dry conditions, confirming his fitness. Two 24 hour podiums seven weeks apart is impressive! Here is what he had to say in his post race text...

"THANKS A TON FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND PERSISTENCE WITH ME! ABSOLUTELY NO WAY THIS COULD HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED WITHOUT YOU DINO! I OWE YOU SO MUCH MORE THAN I CAN GIVE BACK! MY APPRECIATION HAS NO EXPLANATION, IT'S DEPTH IS DEEPER THAN WORDS. I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND, THAT'S ALL I CAN SAY!"

Congratulations Andy, rock on Brutha!

transition

May 2-3 came and went and I completed 272 miles in 24 hours. Not the stellar tt I was hoping for but a valiant effort none the less. Starting the day with 180 miles in the rain was really tough but I didn't really begin to run out of gas until about the 18 hour mark. I had great support from Katie, Steve and Peggy Rex, Doug, Raul, and Scoobie. There are definitely more ultras in my future but not this year.

Right now it's all about track racing. We have already done six events and there are many more to come including the American Velodrome Challenge at Hellyer, the Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge in Portland, Elite Districts, Masters Districts, and the International Omnium State Championships tentatively scheduled in September.

My two full time clients are doing really well. Andy placed 2nd in his division at the Coolest 24 Hour MTB Race and Katie just earned her cat 3 upgrade on the track. Now if I can squeeze out a result the season will be a complete success!

Three Days to Go!

Yesterday was the final training ride before the Davis 12/24 Challenge. It was the usual Monday night Sacramento Wheelmen ride and Kenny and I put on a clinic. We took care of our club buddies and destroyed all haters and ride crashers. It was methodical, almost surgical, and we did not say a word to one another until Kenny said "that's all I got." I jumped with 400 meters to go and was drinking Gatorade by the time I crossed the line. Most of the time we just try to make it safe and competitive, but when some meathead crashes our ride and tries to dictate, look out. We can, and will, work you! hahaha!

Saturday we did the River Ride plus 20 miles. I went 38.5mph in the final but was coming from too far back. But hey, 38.5 on a 50x12? I'll take it! Anyway, I don't feel so great off the bike or even on the bike at recovery/endurance pace but when I dig in and motor I feel really strong. It reminds me of what Horner told me about coming on form. I asked him if he feels fatigue when he's going good and he laughed and told me that when he is on form he feels tired off of the bike and the legs even burn when going upstairs. He said you will feel good for about three hours a day. You'll feel like shit for the first hour and then you'll feel good until about the four hour mark when you will feel like shit again but you will be in the front group with a shot to win. Everybody suffers, the guys that do their homework suffer at the front. I think I'm about ready to race!

They are calling for a chance of rain Saturday. When I started training for this race six months ago I said more than once that if it's raining I probably won't finish, but now that the work is done I must say it will take a medical emergency to make me quit. I am totally focused, have great support, and am racing to win it! The worse the weather, the better my chances! I've come a long way in a short time and am really excited about the rest of the season!!!

form finder

On April 11th I ended up skipping Copperopolis, my favorite road race, in favor of riding 400K solo. The goal for the day was to do the Davis Double Century loop from my house. Nothing special, just going out and putting the time on the saddle.

I awoke at 4AM and was on my bike shortly after five. I rode the flat 45 miles straight through to Lake Solano, at a conservative pace, where I filled my bottles and topped off my Camelbak. From there it's 95 miles with 8000 feet of climbing before decending back into the valley for the long slog home.

I don't know what my problem is with Cobb Mountain but by the time I got to Hobergs I was ready to get in the car and scrap the whole ultra-endurance project. Good thing I had a couple of hours to get my shit together. Not sure why I was having a hard time as I was riding well within my limits all day but bad patches are bound to come and go so I rode through it and lived to tell.

Katie met me on Ressurection with food, drinks, and a change of clothes. By this time I was piecing the ride together telling myself I just had to get to the top of the DC then my day would be a success. Next it was I just need to get back to Winter's and then I'd know what to expect for the 24 Hour Challenge. By the time I got to Winters I was finding my rhythmn and was hell bent on finishing the whole ride. I even caught a second wind on Putah Creek Road. There is good mojo on that stretch that invites the you to rail it!

From Stevenson bridge to home was a total slogfest due to not being able to hold a steady pace through the urban jungle. I think next time, that's right I said next time, I will head south on Stevenson and make my way around to Mace, skipping the trek through Davis.

Other notable rides in the last three weeks are two trips to the track for omnium style racing where I held my own with the A group as well as can be expected, a really strong sprint workout, and two local race rides. I think I should be able to transition from this ultra phase right into summer racing. I'm looking forward to the Nevada City Classic, the AVC at Hellyer, the AVC at Alpenrose and most of our district championship events. But meanwhile it's ten days to the 24 Hour Challenge and I'm feeling pretty good!

Davis 300K

I learned my lesson the hard way about how to plan for nutrition on a long ride with few controls. The first leg of the Davis Bike Club 300K was almost 70 miles. So I drank two bottles of Gatorade before, and two bottles during, thinking that would be enough. Wrong! From now on I will probably continue to use the Camelbak to insure proper hydration.

I rode with or near the front group for most of the first leg, and was only seven minutes off the lead at the first control, after a pretty good amount of climbing. I must admit that the usual hammerheads were not in attendance, so the vibe at the front was a little odd.

Anyway, I rode strong for 6-7 hours before the effects of dehydration began to set in. You know, the usual; lack of appetite, loss of power, and eventually cramps. I was sitting in sixth place when the cramps came on the final climb. I lost 5 places in the last 40 miles, finishing 11th in 11 hours and 5 minutes. I didn't bonk and the dehydration was not bad enough to be a major setback.

I am considering scratching Copperopolis in favor of riding 400K alone in two weeks. In the meantime, more long threshold intervals, and a couple of trips to the track for giggles.

ONE Pilates and Fitness

I started doing Pilates about six weeks ago and am pleased to report it's everything I'd hoped it would be. Carol Hockridge over at ONE Pilates and Fitness is an excellent teacher, a strong woman, and a great lady. She's helping me deal with the ridiculous muscle imbalances I've developed over the last several years by doing little to nothing besides riding my bike. The whole deal seams to be keeping the spine in its neutral position while applying maximum torque to the bicycle. Of course it's really more about a healthy and balanced body and mind but I want to win bike races dammit and Carol is helping me figure out how to put more power to the pedals and that is what I have to say about that.

Saturday on the River Ride I got away with a Cat 1, an ex-pro, and another meathead geezer and cracked off an all time personal best for 27 minutes. I followed that up with a killer 7 hour ride on Monday at 220 watts for the day. This week I'm doing some leg strength tempo work and will rest up for the DBC 300k next week. I'm really looking forward to this ride and hoping for great weather.

The legs are good, moral is great, and I'm itching to race!

The Waiting

Here is Steve standing on his own two feet! And yes that frame on the alignment table is my precious. I've been riding the tin can for what seems like an eternity. I can't wait to race this bike!!!

On the training front things are going well. Since I last wrote, three weeks ago, I did one week of mixed intervals for kicks and a bit of a blowout, followed by two days off, skipping my weekly long ride. Then I did one week of long tempo intervals and a long steady ride of 100 miles in six hours. Last week I did three consecutive days of threshold intervals followed by a 100 mile ride in five hours that ended with the Monday Wheelmen ride. In the middle of the long ride I did two hours at 220 watts with a sprint every five minutes. Yes that is 24 sprints with a peak of 900-1000 watts and an average of 700-800 for ten seconds!!! Ouch! The next hour was solid tempo at 244 watts and then the Monday night ride. I spent a long time on the front wondering why no one was coming around. heeheehee

I've committed to the Davis Bike Club's 300k on March 28. That should be a pretty good test of my fitness. After that it's Copperopolis and a solo 250 mile ride and then the big taper to the 12/24. And when I say taprer I really mean race sharpening where I'll gain race specific fitness while also getting plenty of rest relative to my chronic (long term) training load.