Race Report: Pan Pacific Masters Games, 8 & 9 November 2014

As soon as the program for the Pan Pacific Masters Games came out I was pissed off about it. No road race and no individual time trial. Just two 40 minute criteriums. Not a great program for me at all, but as I was looking for some end of season racing, I had decided to race anyway and have a good crack at it.

Saturday was on the Luke Harrop Memorial Circuit at Runaway Bay. An almost dead flat circuit but it was at least quite windy, and just a little on the warm side. The field was small but there were some strong criterium riders there so I was going to have my work cut out for me. I attacked pretty hard after a few minutes and took two guys with me. That's how we stayed until the finish. I had a few solid attempts at getting away but with no luck. I didn't sprint well and ended up with the bronze medal. Meh... Chris Elder from Data 3 Racing Team won and Andrew McConnell from Moreton Bay Cycling Club came second.

I was always hoping to do better on Sunday. The race was on the hard and hilly Nerang course. It was a lot hotter than the day before and I decided to race with an ice pack down my back which made a huge difference. The Sunday race was hotter and harder than Saturday and my average heart rate  was six beats lower. I believe the ice was responsible.

I rode this one very aggressively and attacked up the hill on the first lap. Andrew McConnell went with me and we stayed like that all the way to the finish, lapping everyone on the way. I have to give Andrew his credit because I attacked him hard many times and just couldn't shake him. He's a much stronger sprinter than me (have a go at the thighs on the unit) and he didn't have a lot of trouble popping me in the finish. Chris Elder backed up from his win the day before with a third place.

One of the interesting thing about the Nerang race in terms of power data is that I produced a 'NP (Normalised Power) Buster'. This has been confirmed by Dr Andrew Coggan himself. The course having a sharp hill every lap was conducive to such a ride. An NP Buster ride produces a normalised power of at least 105% of FTP. I actually produced 111.5% which suggests a hell of an NP Buster or an indication that my FTP needed revising upwards...probably a little of both. Either way it was an indication of what a hard day out it was.

So in the end, I have to be happy with my end of season. After my QRTS crash in July I set myself goals in three target races; this weekend plus the Tour de Valley ITT and I came away with 2nd, 2nd, 3rd....I would trade them all for one win :) 

Race Report: Bikeline Open Criterium, 26 November 2014

This was not an especially good day. Fourteen of us lined up in a combined Elite A / Elite B / Masters A and nine were from the same club (Moreton Bay). It was a hot day (about 37 degrees on the track at Glenvale) which made conditions testing. The race was one hour plus two laps.

I tried to be fairly active early on, including one very big dig to get across to a two man break that was already down the road. The Moreton Bay boys were pretty clear that they weren't working with anyone except their own, so that didn't stick. I tried to stay active, but when the winning break went and I wasn't in it, it has hard to stay on task. I blew to pieces at about 40 minutes and dropped back to tap it out on my own. 

I was handed an ice pack at this point which I threw on my back. I was actually quite shocked at the difference it made. I reckon my heart rate dropped by between 8 - 10 bpm almost immediately. So I tapped it out with my bag on my back, all the way to the end. Not quite sure where I finished. 

Race Report: Tour de Valley, 12 October 2014

I love it when a plan comes together... Was that the A-Team that used to always say that? Anyway, I do and here is why. I actually went into this time trial with a game plan. Not your usual 'hold X watts' either. I mean a proper plan. Why? Because Andrew Patten, who has consistently run top five in the world for the individual time trial as a master, was chasing me for one minute.

Now I don't want to sound all negative and defeatist, but in a masters time trial (this race was 40 - 49 years together), if Andrew Patten beats you by a minute, you're a pretty good show of running second. So here was the plan. The ride out is a LOT harder than the way back (it is very hard), so I wanted to make sure that I didn't get caught before the turnaround. Then, I take a little breath of air when I see Andrew coming, then I make sure I don't get dropped. Easy game.

So if you haven't picked up on the boastful nature of this blog post yet, it all went to plan. I rode my guts out to the turn. Andrew was maybe ten seconds behind me at that point. I take a few deep breaths after the U bolt and when I get passed I make sure he is at about ten bike lengths or so in front of me. Then, my dear reader, I proceeded to eat shit for twenty-five minutes. We stayed like that all the way to the finish line with me in second place with a 52 min 15 sec and Andrew 1 min 06 faster.

Happy days...

Race Report: Club Criterium, 28 September 2014

I wasn't too sure what to expect out of this race. It had been exactly ten weeks since my last race, which ended with me in an ambulance with a leaky lung and broken ribs. I am still experiencing some discomfort on the bike when pushing it very hard which was likely to be an issue. The ten week gap in racing, and five week gap in any meaningful training was also going to have an impact. I had also put in 250 km for the weekend and 650 km for the week before I pinned a number on yesterday, so I had some serious fatigue going on (-46.2 TSB for all you power nerds). All that considered, I'm actually pretty pleased to have been at least partially competitive yesterday and winding up in third place.

A big saving grace was that the pace was not the usual A grade smashfest (largely due to the fact that Trent West was probably as fatigued as I was). My average and normalised power for the race was around 30 - 40 watts lower than I would usually see at Glenvale. This slower pace definitely allowed me to ease back into things a little more steadily, but it still hurt a LOT. Having said that, full credit to Matt Locker for his win yesterday. He made a well timed attack late in the race and it stuck by about ten seconds or so. Some questionable commitment from all members of the chase group was also in his favour. So Matt stayed away for the win and I came second in the group of three that was left behind.

Overall, as stated, I'm happy with this race. I can definitely see some holes in my top end but I think all things considered, I'm actually in pretty good shape. The other positive to report is that the new Cannondale is absolutely superb to race on. 

I believe we have another criterium next week. We'll see how that one goes...

Race Report: Queensland Road Team Series (QRTS 4) - 19 & 20 July 2014 (and that crash)

I haven't ridden a QRTS since round 1 at Yarrabilba when I had an absolutely shite weekend. Round 4 at Gatton would prove to be a very 'ying & yang' affair, with some solid points and form and a ride in an ambulance (well, actually two ambulances). 

The QRTS round was a repeat of the Gatton weekend from last year, with a 15 km Individual Time Trial and a 105km road race on the Saturday and a 105 km road race on the Sunday.

Stage 1 - 15 km Individual Time Trial:

This was a stage I always knew I could do well in and I am very pleased with how it went. I rode a very controlled effort on the tough, undulating course, and finished in 19th place (originally reported as 20th) in 21 minutes and 50 seconds, in a very competitive field. The team performed extremely well with Rolfie (10th), Trent (12th), CJ (15th) and James O (29th). Five riders in the top 30 (top 30 get the points) is a massive effort and a first time for Team TLD. This was also my highest finish in a QRTS and I was pretty happy about it.

Stage 2 - 105 km Road Race

The road race was on the same course as the morning time trial and again I had good legs. The course had some sharp cross winds in sections but fortunately I was able to position myself okay when it mattered and stayed out of trouble. Having said that, I was caught up behind a crash at about 70 km, and had to chase back on. Rolfie was also caught up with me so we rode a 6 km pairs time trial to get back to the bunch (not - fun - do - not - advise - riding - pairs - time - trial - with Rolfie - and - his - 12 - cog). This little effort definitely stung my legs which is a shame given how the stage would end. The field dwindled and dwindled in the cross wind an it was a much smaller bunch that would go a bit ballistic on the last lap. Two little groups slipped off the front late (with Trent picking up an 8th) and I managed to pop up in the bunch sprint to get a 22nd (originally reported as 20th). My second best ever finish in a QRTS and combined with the morning stage, my best ever QRTS day by a country mile. Happy days!

Stage 2 - 105 km Road Race

I woke up feeling good and was looking forward to this stage very much. Little did I know it would all be over in less than 7 km. The bunch was chipping along at 50 km/h and someone clipped a wheel a handful of riders in front of me. No big deal, brake carefully, steer left, try to get around it. Problem was, moron over on my right side (don't remember who he was) does a panic lock-up and swings left very hard. This leaves me with no front wheel and I am heading towards the bitumen. As I said, I don't know who that rider was, but this inability to ride a bicycle is exactly what makes the QRTS so dangerous and full of crashes. You sir, need to find your way to an established club and say 'excuse me, I'm very fit, but I don't know how to ride a bicycle, can someone help me?' 

The prefect storm of crash events wasn't over yet. I am still trying to fall 'properly' when I realise that I have someone on top of me. This pushed me straight back onto my bike and I am surfing on the road with my Cervelo jammed between me and the bitumen, with the handlebars nicely wedged into my rib cage.

You know how after a crash the adrenalin is rushing and you jump up all fired up, looking for your bike? Yeah, that didn't happen. I knew I was in trouble. I landed in the recovery position (how considerate of me) and the race doctor had to administer a morphine drip just to get me off the road. Three hours later I'm in Toowoomba Hospital diagnosed with multiple broken ribs and a punctured lung. Not happy days!

Two closing thoughts about the spill. QRTS is a great thing, and I know the race permits are hard to come by, but the double line issue is causing a lot of danger for the riders in the cross winds. When there is a surge in the gutter, then the pace eases up, the bunch has a natural tendency to fan across the road. When the riders are terrified to cross the double line because they will get fined or disqualified, then that fanning becomes compressed (normally at high speeds) and you see situations like the one that put me on the floor.

Combine that with the fact that I believe there are a LOT of riders in QRTS lacking the necessary skills and experience to operate a bicycle at high speeds in a big bunch and it is no wonder there are so many crashes in this series.

Solutions? I don't know. QRTS could maybe look at traveling a little more to parts of the state where the double lines and traffic management will not be so much of an issue. Riders (not all of course) need to generally 'take a breath' and stop hitting the emergency brakes because they saw a lolly wrapper on the road. I was lucky enough to grow up racing in a club (Rockhampton) where some 'old heads' showed me all the arts of bunch riding as a sixteen year old. Sadly I think this is lacking in many places these days.

My recovery is now progressing well, after a setback in the first week when I ended up back at the hospital with a lung infection. I've been pedaling around on the indoor trainer for a few days and hope to be back on the open road in a few weeks. I still have a chance to target some end of year races but won't be doing the Queensland and Australian Masters titles as I had planned. 

For Bikeline Racing Members - The Charles Coin Memorial / Mardi Bartlett Classic & The Cunningham Classic - Part 3

Sorry folks...this is going to be brief. I'm still in the midst of recovering from my recent QRTS crash at Gatton. Broken ribs, punctured lung and then a lung infection a few days later just for good measure. So here goes...

The Cunningham Classic is a great race. It's been running forever and it deserves its excellent reputation. If I add it up I think I have ridden the junior version twice, Elite A (I think) six times and in masters just the once. The race is dictated by the wind and it is usually a cross-wind kind of day. Rarely though, it can be a tail wind (I think I can recall that twice in all the times I have raced it). 

All of the previous comments I have made are relevant for the Cunningham Classic but here are a few specific ideas for this particular race:

Don't get too hung up on the climb. It's too far from the finish to make or break the race; just don't get dropped! My advice from the last article on how to 'slide' from the front to the back will work here, but with a little more effort given the length of the hill.

I've always felt that the hardest part of the race is the cross-wind (usually) section not far after the KOM, that leads into Pilton and the feed zone. If you have had a hard time on the climb you MUST recover and recover quickly. Unless you really think you have the legs to go for the KOM, I would suggest a conservative approach to the climb and save your biccies for what comes after.

If the wind is blowing a head or cross-head, the race time will be slow. Remember that your nutrition planning should be based on hours not kilometres, so carry enough food and water.

If there is to be a selection made in this race, it normally comes late if there are strong enough cross-winds. Position is critical! Stay near the front and ride smart. Do not do all the work, but be watchful of splits that look strong and could potentially ride away. This race definitely favours those who can conserve their energy early and then power home late. 

The finish straight in the Cunningham is a hard one to judge. It's slightly uphill and as a general comment I think most people go far too early. I would be getting on a good wheel, following it and popping up late. 

So there you have it...short and to the point but hopefully of some help. Good luck!

For Bikeline Racing Members - The Charles Coin Memorial / Mardi Bartlett Classic & The Cunningham Classic - Part 2

First of all, thanks everyone for your kind words about the first part in this three part blog series. I'm pleased people enjoyed reading it and I hope the information was useful to you in some way.

So to part two...and as promised, the focus here will be the Charles Coin Memorial & Mardi Bartlett Classic (which are run on the same course at Mulgowie). Let's have a look at that course...

It's 18.6 km long and no matter what way you look at it, it's not a tough course. There are two key reasons for this. Firstly, the vast majority of the hills have a nice run in / run up, meaning you have a lot of momentum going up them. Secondly, the only hill that should cause you any trouble (right near the finish) has a significant downhill after it and then an extended fast and flat section where a group can chase back on (more about that hill later).

Like all courses though, the wind can be a big factor, so you need to be watchful of where it is blowing from and keep yourself out of it. Remember that if the wind is a cross wind, sitting behind someone won't help you a lot. You need to be diagonally behind them, hiding from the breeze (of course choosing the correct side to be on, based on the wind direction).

Let's talk about 'that' hill. It is about 400 metres long and the top of it is only 1 km or so from the finish line. You crest over the top, hit a big downhill, a slight flatten out, a left hand turn and then it is just a short run to the finish. For those of you who didn't race last year, the finish has moved from the old spot which was a good 4 km or so after the hill. The two things we need to discuss about this hill are how to approach it in the middle of the race and then how to approach it at the very end (two very different things).

During the race, for the reasons discussed earlier (big extended fast and flat section after it where a group can chase back on), I actually don't think it is a great place to attack and get away. It is however, a point each lap where selections will be made due to people getting dropped. So what I mean here is that a bunch of forty-five could lose a handful of people each lap. You don't want to be one of those people! If you have good legs, don't be afraid to have a go here and string the bunch out; especially if there are some good sprinters you would like to 'remove' before the end (especially on the last lap - more about that later). But as stated it is a hard spot to get away on because of what follows.

If you are in survival mode on the hills, then this particular rise is perfect for one of the oldest tricks in the book. It's got a few different names; the 'drift' and the 'slide' are two I can think of. Here's how it goes. The hill is 400 metres long. Let's imagine you are in a bunch of forty-five people riding three abreast (strung out on the climb). The bunch will be fifteen bicycles long, so would be about 30 metres from first wheel to last (1.85 metres maximum per bike plus a little space in between). Let's say the average speed for the hill is 24 km/h. It will take you pretty close to one minute to get up the hill. If you start the hill at the front (or very close to it) and let yourself drift back through the bunch, making sure that you are still on a wheel by the time you hit the top (albeit right near the back), you will only need 22.2 km/h to make it over the top, still in the bunch. You do that a few times and you are saving some serious energy biccies. This technique can be used on any hill in any race you do. Obviously it works best with a big bunch and shorter hills.

This particular hill gives the race one of the most unique finishes in Queensland cycling and there are many different ways to approach it. If you have AWESOME legs, you could potentially attack on it and win (especially if you are already in a small breakaway group). This requires a vicious attack to get an initial gap, powering up the hill, sprinting over the top and then full gas to the finish. Sound easy? You will recall that I said AWESOME legs. If you are a fast sprinter type, you can simply try your best to hold a wheel in about fifth or sixth spot over the hill, watch a flurry of failed attacks and people burning energy chasing those failed attacks, before 'popping up' just in time for the finish. As I mentioned earlier, in a reduced bunch or a breakway, there is still time to drop a sprinter or two here, who is trying to hide themselves away. If you don't have the legs to attack and get away and if you are not a strong sprinter, there is still an opportunity for you. There will be (no doubt) at least one or two failed attacks on the last hill and over the other side. What you need to do is milk those attacks for all they are worth. Follow the wheels (I said follow, not do a turn and help out) and when those wheels are totally spent then BANG play your cards flat out (remember what I said in the first blog about being scared of going for the win?). That just might work...

If you happen to be racing in a large team on the day, there are a few things I would do on that finish. I would have at least two riders setting a strong tempo on the hill, right on the front. The pace needs to be fast enough to make sure that no one else will attack but not so fast that the tempo men can't make it up the hill and / or sprinter type team mates are getting dropped. Those tempo men need to be replaced by someone else who can lead strongly over the top of the hill and down to the corner, again with the intent being a pace fast enough that no one else can attack. Then after the corner, it's standard lead out stuff, with the quick folk on a wheel until the right moment. The whole intent of a team 'owning' a finish like that is to control things through the appropriate pace. As I have said, fast enough to prevent other attacks but slow enough that you are able to do the job. It's a tricky balance but if you can get it right it can be very effective.

Good luck all! Unfortunately I will not be racing this event this year as I will be in Brisbane doing family stuff so I look forward to hearing all the race reports the following week.

Please email me questions if you have any at: arthurdog@gmail.com

For Bikeline Racing Members - The Charles Coin Memorial & The Cunningham Classic - Part 1

I am planning on writing a series of three blog articles specifically for other Bikeline Racing members, who may be about to tackle their first (or second or third?) Charles Coin Memorial or Cunningham Classic, or more experienced riders who might enjoy a little insight into how they could approach the two races. The first article will be a fairly general one, followed by the second which will focus on the Charles Coin and the third will be about the Cunningham. 

Why? For those of you who don't know my cycling background, I spent a LOT of time racing in the 1990s both here and abroad. I had a full twelve years away from the bike before I got back on it two and a half years ago. I guess you could say I have a bit of experience. I have always wanted to get involved at club level with Bikeline Racing, but it is difficult to do that when you live in Dalby and ride for a Toowoomba based club. I am often asked questions by members about racing and I am of course very happy to help out whenever I can. I thought these articles would be a way that I could support newer riders and also open the door to any members who want to pick my brain about this great sport at any time. 

So here we go...

I see a lot of mistakes made by new and inexperienced riders (and to be honest, not-so-new and experienced riders). In the end, if you are new to the sport, you should be making mistakes, so don't stress. The important thing is that you learn from them and improve your craft as a result.

Mistake 1 - Not recognizing bike racing as 'more than an endurance sport' 

Notice how I used the word 'craft' just then? That's exactly what bike racing is. The strongest man on the day doesn't always win. The first rider across the line wins. People who come across to cycling from other sports often become very frustrated by this fact. What riders need to do is develop an understanding of all the little bits and pieces that go into race craft and develop their tactical awareness, conservation of energy mid-race, toughness and planning, to maximize their chances of being successful (there are many other things to consider as well). To consider bike racing as a straight out endurance sport is a mistake. This is half the reason the sport is so fascinating, frustrating and addictive; all at the same time.

Mistake 2 - Approaching racing with the same mindset as training

This is a huge mistake and I see people doing it all the time. When you are training, you should always be trying to work hard. Long turns on the front, charging up hills, giving it your all and blowing yourself up. The whole intent of a hard training ride is to come home shattered. Racing is a completely different ball game and many riders struggle with the shift in mindset required. In a race, you need to be in conservation mode. This means soft pedaling up hills (when you can), avoiding turns, not chasing breaks down without a reason and doing everything in your power to make life easy for yourself; until it 'counts'. As I said, people really struggle with this shift, but to approach your racing any other way, is a big mistake. So often I hear people say 'yeah. yeah, I came 14th today but I did a heap of work so I'm happy'. Really? Did you get a trophy for 'the rider who did the most turns?' Oh that's right; there isn't one! The trophy went to the rider who was first across the line (funnily enough). Now I know there is a kind of 'unwritten rule' about not sitting on all day and being a wheelsucker and I'm not suggesting that this is what you do. What I am saying is that you need to be conservative and careful about it and not waste energy. A good rule to follow is, every time you are doing a turn, ask yourself 'why am I doing this?' Is there a good answer? No? Then get on a wheel; now!

Mistake 3 - Approaching racing with the same nutrition plan as training

This happens all the time and is easy to fix. Let's say you regularly do a 100 km training ride. You do this on a light breakfast with two muesli bars and a gel in your back pocket. You go off to a 100 km race with the same plan and hey presto at 80 km your legs are like lead and you are out the back like a stone wearing an anchor for a backpack. What's going on? You need a lot more nutrition when you are racing. Your average power output and energy used will be much higher in a race and you need to consume additional food to compensate. You are better off to come home with leftover food in your pocket than to blow up in a heap on the side of the road

Mistake 4 - Poor positioning

You've all heard this before. You need to be riding near the front (not actually on the front) so you can avoid crashes, be close to the action and to give yourself an easier ride. The front of the bunch is a lot less 'surgy' than the back and over the course of a long race this adds up to some big energy savings. The impact of the positioning does change a little depending on the size of the bunch. In small bunches (like at club racing) it's not really going to matter too much. When the pack is big though, it makes a huge difference.

Mistake 5 - Not backing yourself for the win

Let's play out a scenario. You are in a six man breakaway nearing the end of a long road race. You are feeling pretty good, but know that there are two very quick sprinters in the break with you. If you get to the finish with them, you'll probably come third or even fourth. You could attack and have a go for the win, but if you do that and you fail, you may end up fifth or even sixth at the end. So what do do you do? Time and time again people will 'play it safe', ignore their good legs and be happy with their third or fourth. This is a big mistake! If you have got the legs, have a go! Winning is actually fun...

Mistake 6 - An unwillingness to hurt

This game...it hurts. It hurts so, so, so, much. Have you ever been really deep in a bike race with the pain? I mean really deep? Fuzzy vision, dribbling, mucus everywhere, ignoring cramps, lungs on fire? If not, it's a place you need to visit. Not all the time, but you need to know how to get there. If you can do that...who knows what you might just be capable of.

So there you have it. Some (hopefully useful) introductory advice before we get specific in the next article. Looking at that list above, if I was to pick the one that is the most common and could have the most impact, I would say number 2. Does that surprise you? Maybe. But trust me, being able to flick the RACING / TRAINING  switch in your head is a skill well worth mastering.

Please email me questions if you have any at: arthurdog@gmail.com

Race Report: Queensland Titles Individual Time Trial, MMAS 3, 16 June 2014

This, was a good day...

This was a target race for me and I am pleased to say that I manged to exceed my expectations. I came 5th in this event last year, still recovering from a nasty chest cold. This time around, the field was stronger and I had it in my head that I would be satisfied with 4th or 5th, but still hoped I could pull something out of the bag.

The course was slightly longer than usual because the course marshals got their tens and elevens confused. We ended up doing a touch under 22 km instead of the standard 20 km. The course itself was reasonable with a bit of wind that picked up as the day progressed. I must confess though, that I do not like the Purga course one bit. I don't think the ups and downs suit me too much. 

I ended up riding an official time of 30 min and 50 seconds (debatable, again, as I honestly believe they have mine and Chris Pryor's times incorrect by ten seconds, but an irrelevant detail I suppose), which gave me the bronze medal, sixteen seconds behind Chris Pryor in second and a minute behind Tim Dagliesh in first. This was far and away the best time trial I have ridden in masters racing. I was a scant two seconds in front of fourth place and six seconds in front of fifth. 

So a solid 'tick' in the 'goals for 2014' list. A state medal (my first one in sixteen years) in a target event I have worked very hard towards. Happy days!

Race Report: Club Individual Time Trial, 8 June 2014

I am a big fan of the Wyreema course as I reckon it is well suited to a lanky grinder like me. It was a very nice morning for a race, but I do disagree with the common sentiment that it was 'perfect conditions for a time trial'. Here is why... 

With the course being almost all downhill on the way out and then (obviously) largely uphill on the way home, in my opinion you will do a faster time with a little headwind on the way out (which you will barely notice) and (obviously again) a little tail wind on the way home, to help you uphill and also to ease the fatigue that is setting in. I also thought that the day was cold and heavy and the course was a bit of a grind as a result. I think that the evidence to back up my theory is that of the four times I have raced the Wyreema ITT, this edition was my highest average and normalised power (by a good 12 - 15 watts) but was actually only my third fastest time. The two occasions I went quicker (by 12 seconds and 28 seconds) the wind was as I described earlier. The other telling factor for me is that fact that Andrew Patten (last year's silver medallist in the Masters World Championships in the 44 - 49 year group) won the race in a time of 27 minutes 17 seconds. Andrew is well and truly a sub-27 minute rider on that course. I reckon the conditions knocked him around a little as well. Assuming that I am right, anyone who rode a PB on the day should be especially proud of themselves. 

So to the race... I came third with a 28 minute 4 second ride. Andrew won (as I said above) and Trent West came second with a 27 minute 42 second ride. Matthew Locker also a notable mention in fourth with a mid 28 minute ride. Matthew has been working hard on his time trial and fine tuning his position, with some solid gains starting to come through for him.

Overall, a week out from the State Titles Individual Time Trial, I am pretty pleased. I pulled off a good set of numbers (with, it's got to be said, some tired legs from a solid 200 TSS ride the day before). There is another part of the ride I am very pleased with. Since last September, I have been on a pretty intense core program. I think I am finally starting to see some tangible benefits from it. This was the first time at Wyreema (or any time trial with a hill in it for that matter), where I have stayed locked in position, on my extensions, in the seat, uphill or downhill, for the entire race (except the start and the turn around of course). This is really encouraging as that kind of form makes a difference in terms of power output and aero gains. 

So off to the State Titles Individual Time Trial this weekend, in the Masters 40 - 44 years category. Who am I up against? Well there is the guy who has won the  Australian Titles Individual Time Trial in Masters 35-39 previously. Or there is the guy who came second last year in the Australian Titles Individual Time Trial in Masters 40-44 years. Or that guy who used to be a pro for Fly V... I think you get my point. It will be highly competitive but I intend to ride my guts out regardless. Wish me luck... 

Race Report: Metropolitan Titles Road Race, 1 June 2014

This was my first race 'back' in Masters A and I'm afraid there is not a lot to report. It was a day of delayed starts and noob errors that combined to make one very boring and meh Sunday.

For starters, the race start was delayed by one hour and fifty-five minutes (some mix up with the traffic control). This was a particlular pain in the arse for me, as the trip from Dalby to Mount Alford is two and a half hours, so I could have left have at 8am instead of 6am.  There was also the fact that pre-race meals and hydration were timed around the original start time, so I needed to recharge and top up while I was waiting in the car. Honestly, if I hadn't driven so far to get there, I would have spun around and come home. 

The race itself was not too exciting for me. A break of six riders bolted almost from the start (a very good group of riders for the record) and they stayed away. I was positioned perfectly to go with them, but actually hesitated, thinking that a 90km break would not steal the day's spoils. I was of course, wrong, wrong, wrong. I had a solid dig off the front on the second lap and managed to get across to two others who were away, but it was short lived and I was destined to finish in what was left of the main bunch (maybe half the original field?) by the end.

Apart from my 'not going with the break' noob mistake. There were two others. I have recently been on a seemingly never-ending quest to get a creak out of my bike. I regreased my seat post the day before this race and obviously had not tightened the bolt properly. My seatpost had slipped by about 1cm - 1.5cm by the end of the race. This explains a lot as I was not feeling strong when seated and ended up getting an 'out of the blue' hamstring cramp right near the finish.

The other noob error involves hydration. I don't think I drank enough before the start (with the delay) and then ended up sucking down my two bottles of water with still 15km or so to go. This probably didn't help with the random cramp either.

So in the end, a day to forget as far as the racing goes.

As a positive I did race today with super-coach Mark Brady (my coach). Mark has been a VERY successful masters A rider but has recently been focusing on triathlons. This was his first road race in over a year. There was an awkward moment where I jumped over Mark very hard and bridged across to someone who was off the front. Instead of being impressed with his own coaching, Mark had the hide to complain about how I had done this to him! I guess you can't please everybody ;)

Race Report: Battle on the Border (Tour de Tweed), 16, 17, 18 May 2014.

As expected, this was a tough affair. The Elite Division 1 race had a small handful of riders who 'should' have been riding the National Road Series event that was running concurrently and Elite A & B riders from Queensland and New South Wales. Looking back at the conclusion of the event, the field (I believe) was definitely stronger than last year. There were a lot more riders from New South Wales this time around. 53 riders were on the start list with 48 actually lining up on the day.

Stage 1: Murwillumbah Road Race - 128 km - 34th

Wet, hilly and fast. That pretty much sums it up. Despite 34th not looking much on paper, I am very pleased with how I rode during this stage. The big split happened after the Tyalgum KOM, where 33 riders went forward and the rest went backwards. I was literally in position 34 when this split happened. So, so, close to getting there. For an 86 kg lump like myself, I was stoked with how I had climbed. I ended up in a group of 3 and believe it or not, we were tantalisingly close to making contact with the front group after a solid hour of chasing. After we admitted defeat we started some serious climbing again, up through Hogan's Road and Terranora. I was toast by the end of this stage. In terms of new power records I set PBs for average power for everything across 90 seconds - 8 minutes and for normalised power for everything across 3 minutes to 3 1/2 hours. This is nothing to celebrate, just an indication of how tough the stage was for me.

Stage 2: Murwillumbah Time Trial - 9.2km - 16th (12 min 50 sec)

I was 'kinda' satisfied with this result and also 'kinda' not. I had some heavy fatigue in my legs and felt I really couldn't get going. I went 2 seconds faster than last year (I finished 8th in this stage last year) but with the better field I didn't finish as well this time around.

Stage 3: Murwillumbah Criterium - 30 minutes + 2 laps (DNF - 1 lap down)

This was just straight up awful. The start was ridiculously fast. There were eight major surges in the first few minutes that hurt me badly. Just out of interest (one for the power nerds), my 10 second averages during those surges were 957w, 919w, 663w, 923w, 662w, 796w. There's only so much of that I can cope with! I lasted 10 minutes (which is a shame because apparently things settled down a bit after that). I wasn't alone though and ended up in a small group. The commisaire was kind enough to pull my group off the course at about 20 minutes in.

Stage 4: Kingscliff Road Race - 132km - 25th

Like earlier in the race, this result doesn't look like much on paper, but this was without doubt the best day I have had on a bike since I started racing again. You couldn't custom design a worse course for me, with long, steep and tough climbs appearing regularly. I climbed out of my skin and took great pleasure in watching riders 20 kg lighter and 15 years younger getting shelled out the back while I was hanging on. The major split ended up happening on the second crossing of the Burringbar Range. 21 riders went forward and I was in a little chase group of 4. Our group had their progress slowed down somewhat by a pretty nasty crash. We ended up in a group of 7 and went to the finish like that. The stage was enough to put me up to 28th overall. In a field like that, on a course like that, I was pretty satisfied.

It is good that I finished this race on a positive note as I have made a decision about future racing. When I got back on the bike in September of 2011, I never for a second imagined I would ever race Elite A again. When I got bumped up to that grade by the state handicapper, I was shocked but also secretly feeling very happy about the promotion. I went from 'zero' to Elite A in 1 year and 8 months. I've been racing Elite A for a little over a year and as much as I have enjoyed the challenge, I think I am done with it. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, I'm 41 years old and racing super-fit 19 year olds is starting to lose its appeal. Secondly, I don't want to do 6-7 hour training rides any more. 3-4 hours is fine, but I'm sick of the long ones. Thirdly, I'd like to do some state level racing where I actually have a chance of getting a result. Don't get me wrong, I have done some stuff I am proud of (how many people can claim top ten finishes in the Cunningham Classic that span 21 years?) but it would be nice to be involved in the business end of a bike race, instead of hanging on for dear life.

And that my friends, is why you will only see me at Masters A races from now on (which is super competitive as well, if you don't believe me, you should try it). What does this mean for Queensland Road Teams Series (QRTS) with Team TLD Racing? I will still be 'around' and will make myself available for selection where the courses suit me.

So there you have it. Hopefully some fun and challenging racing ahead. I'm looking forward to it very much starting with the Metropolitan Championships Road Race this Sunday. Farewell Elite A; it's been a blast!

Race Report: Ipswich Open Individual Time Trial, 3 May 2014

This race was an improvement on a week ago (and for that I am truly grateful). I raced Masters A (which I don't often do) because it was the same course and distance as the State Titles Individual Time Trial in six weeks time.

The 20 km Purga course is normally tough enough on a regular day, but on this day we also had a howling cross wind to contend with. This seemed to knock everyone's times around a little.

I rode a good, controlled and well-timed race, making sure I had enough in the tank to really get into it on the hills that come in the last 5km or so. I actually ejected my Garmin at the 9km mark, which made things a little difficult. I've become a 'sucker for the numbers' and having to do the last 11 km without power, cadence or heart rate data was a little tricky. Having said that, I think I managed to get it right.

The field in Masters A is always competitive and I felt that this particular race was no different. I was very keen for a top five placing and missed that by a little with an 8th place, in a time of 29 minutes and 12 seconds. I was 24 seconds off the top five, 43 seconds off the podium and 1 minute 13 seconds off the win (world number two in the Masters 45- 49 age group, Andrew Patten).

So overall, I'm not overjoyed, but satisfied. Comparing myself to other riders in my age group (40 - 44 years) I performed well and have reduced the gap since last time we raced together.

Race Report: Queensland Road Team Series (QRTS 2) - 26, 27 April 2014

This was my first QRTS round for the year with Team TLD and I am very disappointed to say, it was by far the worst round I have had with the team, since coming on board in round 1 last year.

The program was two 31 km Team Time Trials on the Saturday and then a 93 km Road Race on the Sunday (which was three laps of the Saturday Course)

Saturday

Team Time Trial 1 - I lasted 11 km. No explanation. My legs wouldn't work when going uphill. I simply felt like I had nuthin'. I did ride my TT bike with a disc in the back and the course had a lot of climbing in it. This is not an excuse by any means but for a big bloke like me, I need all the help I can get when climbing so probably not a great equipment choice.

Team Time Trial 2 - I lasted 16km. A marginally better effort than the morning but I still had a lot of difficulty. I used my road bike in this one which felt a lot better. The lighter bike and wheels and the ability to change gears quickly and easily definitely made a difference.

The team actually went very well in the two events (top non-NRS team) and having only a 10 second difference between the two rides. The second event was a timed handicap based on the morning run and it makes no sense to me to have a handicap event in a 'high-level elite' series, as it is promoted. But anyway...it is what it is. 

Sunday

The road race started okay but again any incline had me in trouble. I lasted about 20 km on the first lap before being blown out the back door on the KOM (I wasn't alone, but that doesn't make me any happier about it). It was a very fast pace, but so have all the other QRTS rounds been when I have made it to the finish in good shape. Sigh...

So what to take out of this weekend? 

Firstly, Team TLD is looking very good. James Thompson finished second in the road stage and Sam Allen showed his class with a great performance across the weekend. The two of them are 18 years and 17 years respectively so their future is very bright. 

Secondly, the team culture and ethos at Team TLD is great. It's an awesome environment to race in and be a part of. I've raced in many teams over the years and in terms of support and organization, Team TLD are one of the best. 

Thirdly, in terms of my performance, I really don't know what to say. I am writing it off as 'one of those weekends'. Disappointing, but it happens. One thing that I am still struggling with since 'coming back' is my consistency, and this is a great example of that. Two weeks ago I put out my best ever power numbers. This weekend just gone, I can't get anywhere near that. When you look at my power files from this weekend there is nothing in there to suggest that I would be in as much trouble as I was. It's frustrating, but as a 41 year old still 'returning' to the game it is something I need to deal with.

What's on the calendar? The Ipswich Open is this weekend and I am only riding the Individual Time Trial. This is a 'dressed rehearsal' for the State Titles (MAS 40 - 44) Individual Time Trial in June (same course / distance). I am actually riding Masters A (which I don't often do) so I can do this course. I'm keen for a result of course, but am very interested in how I perform against the other 40 - 44 years riders. Battle of the Border is also coming up and the Tour of Toowoomba as well for the team, but I have pretty much no chance of riding that given my current form and the quality we have on board at the moment. 

Cycling History

I'm becoming a huge fan of the work of Irish cycling historian Cillian Kelly. His website is here: Website and you can find him on Twitter here: Twitter.

Cillian co-hosts a weekly podcast through Velocast (it is a subscription service) available here: Velocast. The podcast is called 'This Week in Cycling History' and it is well worth a listen.

Given it is classics season, I wanted to share a highlight from the show I heard, regarding French rider Jacky Durand, who won the Tour of Flanders in 1992 after a near race-long breakaway with German rider Thomas Wegmuller. When interviewed about his victory, Durand had the following to say (Durand attacked late and won solo):

Just then the commisaire's car drove up next to me and Eddy Merckx himself stuck his head out the window. He said to me 'hey kid, you're gonna win the Tour of Flanders'. I thought to myself 'if god himself believes it, then he is probably right'. 

The video is in French but here is Durand soloing to victory in 1992:

If the player doesn't work in your browser use this link:

1992 Tour of Flanders

A Few Race Reports...

I haven't blogged for a while so I will cover a few things in one hit...

Dalby Triathlon - 23 March 2014

This is always a fun day out and a good chance to fly the 'Dalby State High School' flag as a part of our school team. We entered the Open Teams Event and the Business House Challenge. We won them both which was a great result. 

In the Open Teams I did the 20km in 28 min 03 sec, which I am pretty happy with given that the course had four U-turns and eight roundabouts to got through. I also had to take my foot off the gas a few times because of the heavy bike traffic. All in all, I'm pleased with that time. 

In the Business House Challenge I covered the 6.5 km in 9 minutes flat. Again, the course had two U-turns and four roundabouts and I had an unfortunate incident where I had to jam my brakes on to avoid going up the back of the lead car, which had slowed  down in front of me in the middle of a roundabout. 

Toowoomba Ride the Range - 30 March 2014

This charity ride was held in wet and treacherous conditions on a very tough course. It was a great ride in terms of training but by the end of it I was just so wet that all I wanted to do was get off my bike and get into the car. There were also some more 'interesting' moments trying to stay safe in the wet with a lot of inexperienced riders (which I guess is standard on a charity ride). In any case, despite the weather and crash risks I'm still glad that I did it. 

Toowoomba Club Race - 6 April 2014

This race just straight up annoyed me. It was at the Bunker's Hill course (which I had never ridden before). It was six laps of 9.5 km. I attacked at four laps to go and was joined by Trent West. We established a good lead and I thought we were safe. James Orchard and Matthew Simonelli worked very well together and got across to us with one to go. I hate getting caught! James attacked with about 5 km to go and I made an error in judgment. Trent is a strong sprinter (best chance to win a gallop of the four of us) and Matthew was the only non-Team TLD rider there. I thought they both had a lot to lose and that they would chase. I was wrong. James rode away and had a good win and I came in 4th. I didn't have the best of legs this day and in the end I was pretty pleased with how I went given the heavy training block I was buried in. 

MMAS (40 - 44 years) State Criterium Titles - 13 April 2014

This 35 minutes plus 3 lap race was held on a very wet afternoon at the Nundah Circuit in Brisbane. It was going to take a miracle for it not to end in a bunch sprint but I was not going to be left wondering. I rode an extremely aggressive race and did what I could to get away and then stay there. With a 45.1 kmh average speed, staying away was always going to be a significant challenge. It ended in a bunch sprint which I was near the back of. 

Coach Dewort gave me a taper for this race to have a really good hit out and see how my form was. Despite the lack of a result, the news on my form is good. I set new 20 minute and 30 minute average power records and managed a normalised power of well over 400w for the 38 minute race. My best power numbers ever. This is a good sign and I am looking forward to seeing how the season progresses. 

What's coming up? Just about to hit a very busy period of racing - Queensland Road Team Series (QRTS) Round 2, Ipswich Open, Battle on the Border and then Tour of Toowoomba (although the TLD Team for this is yet to be finalised). Looking forward to the next few months of racing very much. 

Race Report: Club Criterium - 1 March 2014

A small but extremely excitable field lined up for the A grade club criterium at Glenvale last Saturday. It was 40 minutes plus 2 laps. Things started off quite steady, but at 8 minutes in we were all handed bowls of anaerobic soup and as someone on Facebook put it 'a bomb got dropped in A grade'. 

Here is what happened: 

Darren Rolfe gave it a good surge up the finish line hill (a good one). I checked and saw he had created a gap already so gave it a big effort over the top. This sent four of us clear. I kept on going and then Darren put in another solid turn. This put Darren and myself clear on our own with 32 minutes to go. Oh dear...

Darren can ride a time trial (yes he can) and that's pretty much what he did. He was sitting on the front for the entire lap, with the exception of the finish line hill. I was trying to smash myself up there each lap to keep us clear. This 'system' worked pretty well and we ended up with a good gap some (very long) 32 minutes and 2 laps later.

I was shattered by the end and Darren surged away from me on the last lap to win, giving me second place.

I'm pretty happy with this ride. I have been struggling to find form and today indicated that my top end is starting to go okay at least:

Race Report: Solutions Training Toowoomba 2 Day

As predicted, this was a tough weekend. It was made all the worse by the extremely hot weather. We had approximately thirty starters in Elite A both days and it was a high-quality field.

Criterium (55 minutes + 2 laps @ Glenvale)

This was a very fast race. My Garmin recorded a maximum temperature of 38 degrees and an average temperature of 36.5 degrees. The start was a bloodbath and the field very quickly broke up. By twenty minutes in there was a break of three, chased by a group of four and what was left of the bunch trailing behind. I was in that third group and stayed with them to the finish (there were about twelve of us left by then). I was actually very pleased (and a little surprised to be honest) by this finish. Some very good bike riders got shelled out of my group and I didn't, which is great.

Road Race (72 km @ Goombungee)

If I thought the criterium was hot, then the road race was just something else. I cannot remember racing in hotter conditions. My Garmin recorded a maximum temperature of 45 degrees and an average temperature of 41.5 degrees. The start was extremely quick which took its toll. I made it over the first two decent hills okay but started to struggle badly on the undulating section heading towards Haden. Icould feel my legs just getting worse and worse and I eventually just popped. I went from being safely in the bunch to doing 15 km/h on my own in about ten seconds. I struggled home and finished the lap and joined all the other riders who pulled out at half way (I think only fifteen or so finished). This was a disappointing ride but it's not wise to read too much into it when conditions were so bad.

On a positive note, I had team mates finish second (James Thompson) and fifth (Darren Rolfe) which is great news. Special mention also to two more team mates who finished first (Chris Maycock) and second (Trent West) in the Elite B race.

I said last blog post that my form wasn't great and it would seem I was right. Having said that, I am pleased with how the criterium went. That is something positive for me to take out of the weekend.

A New Year and a New Team

With the clock ticking over to 2014, I am now an official member of Team TLD Racing. I rode the Queensland Road Team Series (QRTS) with them last year and have come across permanently now. This has been a great move for me and I am really looking forward to the year ahead. The team has signed a few young up and coming stars (ah, not like me!) who I am sure will inject something very positive into the team. James Thompson from Brisbane is probably the 'biggest' of the new names. Look out for him this year as he is a genuine talent. Ex-professional Darren Rolfe is also keen for a big year and is as fit as I can remember seeing him. 

2014 has had a slightly shaky start for me. I have been trying to concentrate on putting some solid base miles down but have had some unfortunate interruptions. I have had a major mechanical which put me off the road for two days, a stomach bug that knocked me around a bit and (last but not least) a crash that I am still recovering from. All things considered, I'm actually not going too badly, but undoubtedly feeling a little behind where I would like to be at this time of year.

I did get to test my form at a 60km club race at Boodua last weekend. The team had a hard ride around Haden the day before so the legs were a bit flat (as well as my left arm which was still giving me some discomfort). I am pretty happy with how I went. There were two riders off the front and I managed to jump across to them. We were soon joined by a fourth and that is how we stayed until the last 8km. I ended up third. This picture also shows the new team kit for 2014:

The Toowoomba Two Day is on this weekend. I have a 55 minute plus 2 lap criterium and a 72km road race on the Haden circuit. I am riding Elite A both days and it is an absolute quality field. I think I am in for a tough weekend but can hopefully use it to move forwards in terms of fitness and form. Wish me luck...