Training update for Furnace Creek 508

I have extended my commute to 50 miles each way. The graphs are above. I few more rollers and a good little hill on the way back to the car in the evening. You can see that on the elevation profile graph (exact opposite route).

I think I will keep it at 100 miles a day for July and then maybe by August start doing full commutes of 65 miles each way (130 miles a day). This is only for three days a week.

We'll just have to see how the legs hold up. I am experience some pain on my left Achilles tendon I hope it goes away.

Training for Funace Creek 508 Update

Training for the 508 is coming along nicely. I have extended my commute to 45 miles each way. That's 90 miles a day (with an 8 hour work day in between) and 270 miles for the week before the weekend starts.

Today's commute was plagued with little annoyances. The morning started off great. I got enough sleep the night before and my legs only ached a little from the Tuesday night Criterium I do in Long Beach. One hour of high intensity effort. So less than 12 hours later on the bike again.

1. I drive 20 miles to my commute start point. I really needed to go to the restroom and didn't have any idea where to pull over.

2. Well as I am thinking about where to pull over I realize I LEFT MY BIKE AT HOME!

3. My iPod wasn't working yet it was fully charged

4. I had a headwind and warming up I said to myself "oh this is going to be a long ride"

5. I have four saddle sores now and they began to cause discomfort right from the start of the ride.

6. I flatted on Interstate 5 South from Las Pulgas to Harbor Drive in Oceanside. First time I have ever flatted on my commute on the 5 freeway.

But the day got better. On my way through Oceanside I ran into Steve Hegg . Then I ran into my friend Jason. We rode together and he gratefully listen to me whine about my ride. I then get to the start of the "Camp Pendleton Ride" and see some other friends Kenny Souza and John Howard.

As I'm shaking John's hand he says "Hey Mr. Ultra Distance Cyclist!" I was stunned and humbled by his comment. I replied "John you are the the Ultra Distance Cyclist." Then we got into a discussion of when I was doing RAAM Solo and why I didn't participate in 2008 RAAM. It was good talking to one of the guys you started this whole crazy RAAM thing. He is really a down to earth guy.

Anyway I eventually made it to work and then the doldrums of the day began for sure. Except when Scott Tinley came in for a bike fit.

If you have read this far I am beginning my search for crew members for Furnace Creek 508. If you are interested send me a line.

ALSO IF YOU SUBSCRIBE YOU WILL BE KEPT UP TO DATE ON MY DOINGS!

Training for Furnace Creek 508

Starting this week I will begin ramping up the mileage slowly. Furnace Creek is Oct 4-5, 2008. I have about three months to get ready.


I rested on Monday.

I did the Tuesday night Criterium at El Dorado Park. 27 miles at high intensity.

Today (Wednesday) I did a partial commute from San Clemente to work on my Fixed Gear (32.5 miles).

Tonight I will commute back to San Clemente after work. (32.5 miles)

Thursday the same

Friday possibly a high intensity morning ride.

I would like to leave the doldrums of the 100-150 mile weeks. Seems that is all I have been doing since moving to crits and road races. As I near October I will be up to 400 mile weeks or more.

Catching up with George....

From L to R. Choosak, Jason, Brandy, me and Joseph at 2008 Devil's Punch Bowl




Suffering at San Luis Rey Road Race



Also at San Luis Rey Mark Thomas from Kahala and another rider rotating through just to finish.


Well I have been getting emails from you my readers as to why I have not kept my blog up-to-date. I have been busy racing every weekend. The challenge I see is how to report back weekly on something as short as a Criterium. These races are 45-55 minutes long. The races are over and done with in such a short period of time. It's not like my Ultras full of pain and suffering for hours and hours.

Criteriums are all about positioning. For example, positioning is very important at the very start so you don't end up having to fight your way to front when you are tired. There are often more crashes in the back so staying near the front is advised. Positioning is very important in the last laps of the race to assure yourself the opportunity to sprint for the finish and place well.

Here are my results for races after LA Circuit on March 16 through today May 13th.

3/18--El Dorado 4/5 Pack Finish
3/23--Ontario GP 30+ 4/5--19th
3/23--Ontario GP 35+ 1-4--22nd
3/23--Ontario GP Cat 4/5--52nd after crash with 4 laps to go
3/25--El Dorado Masters-- Field
4/1---El Dorado Masters---7th
4/6---Anthill Crit Cat 4-- 12th
4/8---El Dorado Masters-- Pack Finish
4/15--El Dorado Masters-- 12th
4/20--Torrance Crit--16th
4/22--El Dorado Masters-- 9th
4/26--Devils Punch Bowl--54th
4/29--El Dorado Masters-- 9th
5/4---San Luis Rey Road Race Cat 4-- 72nd


Since moving to Cat 4 I have had consistent top 20 finishes in Criteriums with fields over 100. I have not faired as well in road races. At Devil's Punch Bowl I was dropped on the first lap and had to finish the race alone--basically. I tried to go with the first accelerations straight from the line. I didn't have a good warm-up and I was dropped. At San Luis Rey I was dropped on the second out of four laps. I had done Breathless Agony, a 12,000 foot climbing event, the day before and my legs were toast. I will not do that again. I must show up with fresh legs since I should be racing next season as a Cat 3.

I have not been placing high enough to upgrade via points. But the regulations also allow for upgrade via experience in 20 races with fields over 50. Currently, I have completed 16 races (need 20) as a Cat 4. I am literally one month away from applying for a Cat 3 upgrade.

Once I achieve my goal of upgrading from Cat 5 to Cat 3 in one season I will then have to focus on my Ultras again. I need to turn on the long distance machine back on and get ready for Furnace Creek 508. I was accepted to the Furnace Creek 508 25th anniversary edition. I am one of 100 racers racing in the solo division.

My applicaton for Furnace Creek 508....

Yesterday I submitted my application for Furnace Creek 508. So if/when I am accepted to race I will have to shift my short duration high intensity training to long duration and medium intensity. I will have to start commuting again and getting some serious miles.

LA Circuit Race Report

First Race as Cat IV
Field Size 100
Weather WINDY 20-30 Mph gusts
Finished 12Th place

Well as I suspected the winds were still strong on race day. My goal was to stay hidden in the pack. I did that so well that Brandy said she had been trying to take pictures of me but couldn't find me. I told her that was the plan.

The course was two long straights with two U-turns at either end. Our speeds going into the wind were mid 20's our speed with the tailwind was well over 30 mph.

So this is what would happen every lap. We would go really fast with the tailwind (over 30mph) then slow down to a crawl (about 10mph) into the U-turn then full throttle into the wind then crawl into the other U-Turn then full throttle as we came out of the turn with the tailwind. Repeat this for four laps.

It became very apparent that sitting in was more important than trying to be a hero. So I sat in until the last turn and then the sprint was on. We came out of the corner at almost full throttle with at least a mile to go to the finish line. I sensed the move coming from my left and chased after it. Well he tried to get into the train and they didn't let him in. As he tried to enter the train he cut my buddy off which threw off my line, then he cut me off, which threw off my line again and by that time he had created a gap. I hesitated whether I should chase or if I should just wait until someone bridged the gap and follow the wheels to the 200 meter line. Well other riders did come up and I was swallowed up. I had to fight for 12Th place.

In retrospect, I should have followed that flyer because he brought me to the front and if I would have stayed with him I would have been that much further ahead of the pack when he rolled off to let his teammate win. I have replayed this in my head for the last 12 hours and I can't get it out of my head.



HIDING IN THE PACK. CAN YOU SPOT ME?





FIELD SIZE 100



THE SPRINT FINISH





I'M LIFTING MY RIGHT HAND BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT MY NUMBER BLOCKED BY THE BIG GUY NEXT TO ME

LA Circuit Race Eve

View Larger Map

Saturday night and I am wondering what the weather will be like for my circuit race tomorrow. The weather today was very windy with gusts over 20mph. If the high winds continue it will make for a very interesting race tomorrow. Staying in the pack and not pulling will be key.

On another note...I visited Centennial Farm today with Brandy and the kids. Somehow I managed to be suckered into this. Enjoy.

USCF Upgrade

My request for upgrade for my USCF License from Cat V to Cat IV has been approved.

I am still very concerned with crashing. It seems that every race that I have watched or participated in has had crashes. This is very scary to me. Yes cycling is a dangerous sport to begin with it. I would like to think that I can control my destiny by riding smart and towards the front of the pack. But I have been reading reports of crashes happening even in the first 10 wheels. In the thousands of miles I have ridden in Ultras I have come close only a handful of times BUT I have never crashed. The one time I did crash in a double century I was alone and fell asleep and ran off the road. Granted the intensity is less but we still have pacelines and we are in them for hours upon hours. I like the adrenaline rush of USCF racing but I am terrified of inexperienced riders or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

My next goal is to upgrade to Cat III.

Here is the upgrade criteria straight from USA Cycling.

"4-3: 20 points in any 12-month period; or experience in 25 races with a minimum of 10 top ten finishes with fields of 30 riders or more, or 20 pack finishes with fields over 50. 30 points in 12 months is an automatic upgrade"

For Criteriums and Road Races
Number of Starters


Placing 5-10 11-20 21-50 50+
1........3.....4.....5......7
2........2.....3.....4......5
3........1.....2.....3......4
4..............1.....2......3
5....................1......2
6...........................1

For Road Races

Points awarded for Road Races
Number of Starters

Placing 5-10 11-20 21-50 50+
1........3.....7.....8.....10
2........2.....5.....6......8
3........1.....4.....5......7
4..............3.....4......6
5..............2.....3......5
6..............1.....2......4
7....................1......3
8...........................2
9...........................1






See you at the races.

Combined Race Report Post

03/01/02 BAKER TO DEATH VALLEY 80 MILE ROAD RACE -- FINISHED 30TH

03/02/08 DASH FOR CASH CRITERIUM------------------- FINISHED 19TH

03/04/08 EL DORADO TWILIGHT RACE SERIES CRITERIUM-- FINISHED 7TH

03/09/08 TOUR DE MURRIETA CIRCUIT RACE------------- FINISHED 10TH







03/01/08 SATURDAY BAKER TO DEATH VALLEY Finished 30th

RESULTS

80 MILE ROAD RACE 3,000 FEET OF CLIMBING.

A break went off the front on mile one. We (the peloton) let them go because we thought we would catch them later. Well they stayed away the whole race. I got dropped on the climb around mile 30. The pace was mellow for the first 10-15 miles and then somewhere around mile 20 the field split and I got caught out. I worked real hard to bridge the gap. It took almost 9 miles to get back on. But by then we were approaching the base of the climb. I didn't have enough time to recover before the climb started and about .5 mile into it I got dropped. I just didn't have the legs to keep up with the pack.

At the top of the climb, I noticed there was noone in front of me and noone behind me. So I basically did a 40 mile TT. Yes I was alone from the top of the climb to the finish. I finished in 3:23 for an avg of 23.4 Mph. There was a tail/crosswind and I am sure that helped the peloton.

03/02/08 SUNDAY DASH FOR CASH CRITERIUM

RESULTS

The challenge with doing races on consecutive days is recovery. Not only did I do a 80 mile road race on Saturday but I also spent five hours in the car driving back from Death Valley to Huntington Beach. As soon as I was able to change out of my cycling gear I put on my Skins Travel & Recovery tights for the drive home. Once home Brandy gave me a leg massage, a good meal and some rest and relaxation.

On race day I did a decent warm up and lined up thinking "I just want to sit in." Well the yahoos that were racing prevented me from doing that and soon enough I was in the front 10 riders enjoying clear lanes to take the corners.

But then I between turn 2 and turn 3 (slight uphill) a rider attacked. I happened to be near him and jumped on his wheel. We got a gap from the pack and as we turned on 3 I noticed we had a little more of a gap. As we neared turn 4 he was still pulling and I was tucked in behind him. He lookeed down and saw my shadow and he hit it again rounding turn 4. But now I had the perfect position --- he was pulling to the line and it was a slight downhill. I coasted for a couple of seconds caught my breath and then slingshotted around him 30 meters from the line for the prime.

The sprint was anti-climatic I was on such a high from the prime I didn't really care. I wanted a top ten finish but when we rounded turn 4 on the last lap I was out of gas for the sprint. You think it has something to do with the race the day before? Of course.




03/04/08-- EL DORADO TWILIGHT RACE SERIES 60 mins FINISHED 7TH (4 POINTS)

RESULTS

I was feeling really strong and decided I would take chances and see how things worked out. The race is held in a park and it feels safe although there is one turn that takes you right into the sun and it is a tight left handed. There were a couple of attacks and I went with them just to test my fitness. We got neutralized when the pros past us and then it was on for the last lap. But then there was a crash in the Pro 1/2/3 field which caused the IV, V group to be neutralized right in front of our charging pack. I was in 5th wheel and sat up because I didn't want to sprint into the IV, V field and lost a couple of places as we came across the line. I felt great the whole hour.

03/09/08 TOUR De MURRIETA CIRCUIT RACE 37 MILES -- FINISHED 10TH

RESULTS

So I finally got a Top 10 in a race. I had been nipping at it with the previous Crits (11th Roger Millikan, 12th Anger Management the day after a 10:46 Butterfield Double) and this time it worked out. Oh and the lunge across the line meant the difference between top 10 and top 20. (This is what I thought all the way home from the race. The results from the Eldo race had not been posted and I thought this was my first top ten.)

I knew I was going to have a good day on Sunday because my pre-race leg opener on Saturday went well. I did a 30 miler and went up Newport Coast in 7:21 from the base at PCH to Pelican (new PR). On the way home I did 5 sprints all over 900watts. I haven't hit 900w (150 lbs) on any of my previous Crits. Ok ok so these aren't big numbers but as an Ultra cyclist I am all slowtwitch now and there just aren't that many opportunities (read necessity) to SPRINT or climb at or above threshold.


I followed good wheels all day and stayed in the top 10 of the group and watched every break.



THAT'S ME ON THE RIGHT SPRINTING FOR 10TH

San Diego Brevet 400km (256 miles)

I am falling behind on my blogging. I'm racing so much and trying to recover. I did the 400km with 13,000 feet of climbing. I was brutal I didn't have a good day and I didn't have much fun. I finished first in 20 hours which meant I was awake 24 hours.