My winter/early spring training has been... sporadic... as weather and motivation fluctuate. One week in particular I hit it really hard with weights, running, and riding, before and after work, and was exhausted by Friday - slept eleven hours that night. The following "rest" week quickly turned into a do-nothing week when the weather took a turn for the worse. I had a good routine of exercising before work, but with the time change and warmer weather, longer quality rides after work are more appealing. My intentions don't always pan out, however. Evening traffic seems to be getting worse as the weather gets better, and even though it's only bad for the few miles in and out of town, it's enough to deter me some days. On the bright side, we're getting dangerously close to mountain bike season (a phrase I hope to never use again), and I won't hesitate to drive to the trails after work.
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| Sorry for the inside pic; too busy going fast when I'm outside. |
Rebuild
The road bike has been long over-due for some TLC. Since building it nearly four years ago (with a lot of used parts), it's kind of been neglected. Initially I intended to rebuild it all at once, but switching job locations (in October) meant my new wheels were returned to sender (in China) before I could pick them up. I finally received them at my new place just a few weeks ago. It's just as well though, as I wouldn't want to subject them to the Midwest Winter. I did actually need new wheels though. The previous set was ten years old, and the wear indicator on the rear wheel disappeared about two years ago. I'm sure there's a safety margin built in, but I felt like I was starting to push my luck. The front wheel was just starting to go. The new ones are sweet though: 60mm deep and 25mm wide. They're not particularly light but still lighter than what I had. They are quick though. Handling is different and sometimes requires more attention, but it's not bad. Along with wheels I replaced cables, housing, bar tape, and tires several months ago and chain, cassette, and chainring more recently. Swapping a 12-25 cassette for an 11-23 for a faster sprinting gear. Until recently, I've never run any road tire other than Continental Gatorskins, and while they last forever and rarely flat, they're also slow and ride harshly. This time I opted for a racing tire, GP 4000s II's, and while they ride much smoother and roll a bit faster, one has already been destroyed. I'm giving them a second chance, hoping that was an anomaly. In the future I may look for a compromise between racing and bulletproof.
For a little more money, I could've bought a used mid-level bike, but even if I combined the best parts, I'd be stuck with stock gearing, wheels, and tires. Also, Chinese carbon has very little resale value, so that option didn't make much sense.
Race
My first race of the year was the Tour of St. Louis which featured a time trial and two crits. Before the LAMBRA Championship last August, I wouldn't have done a road race unless my friends dragged me there. Those races, however, made me more comfortable riding in a pack and taught me that I have a shot at winning. That, combined with racing deprivation last fall and winter means I'll race in any way that I can. In all three events of the Tour of St. Louis I finished very near the middle.
I expected to do better in the time trial, but I guess it's been a long winter and my allergies were acting up in that slightly warmer climate. This event hurt the worst and felt like my lungs would explode. Still I managed a 23.5 mph average for 30 min, which I was happy with, but it wasn't good enough to place. I'm not sure if the top Cat 4's were on time trial bikes or not. I would definitely do another, but I have no desire to own a tt bike.
Both of the crits were fast with smooth corners. Having recently acquired a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt GPS, this was my first time in a very long time racing with speed, distance, and time data. And it was quite helpful. A third of the way into the first crit, I looked down to see we were averaging over 25 mph. After the morning's time trial I knew good and well I couldn't maintain more than 23.5 for any significant amount of time. A solo break was out of the question even in the rolling hills, so I played it safe and waited for the bunch sprint, knowing I'm not much of a sprinter. I'm not used to strategizing in races and wasn't sure what else to do. Even a group break probably wouldn't have stayed away.
The next day's crit was similar but flat with two slightly hard corners. Once again we averaged over 25 mph. I attacked with four laps to go, right when the group was slowing in anticipation of the final lap/sprint. A break might've stayed away those last few laps, but if not I still had time to recover for the sprint. My attack only amounted to me being on the front pulling everyone else. I jumped on another attack the next lap but still no break was formed. Rolling into the final stretch the pack was cruising at nearly 30 mph. A well timed, strategically placed sprint with good legs was the only way to win this one, and I had none of those.
Still, it was a fun weekend. Even though both crits were fast, they weren't nearly hard enough. I felt pretty good within minutes after finishing. Thinking more about strategy, I need to play to my strengths. I'm not a great sprinter and usually not fast enough for a solo break (few people are and those usually need to cat up). My greatest strength in bike racing, developed from years of mountain biking, is the ability to put out hard efforts and recover repeatedly. Therefore, my strategy for similar crits (and especially training races) in the future is to actively try to wear down the competition, hopefully before my own legs give out.
