Turning Left

I have to be honest...I can't wait to get back on my track bike. It all starts on 22 October with the final round of the Chandler Spring Series, which will (I think) be the last time I ever race on the outdoor velodrome at Chandler. I can't help but feel a little nostalgic about that, when I think about how much time I spent at that place in my younger years. After that, the State Titles Masters Omnium is on 13 November (I came second in that event last year) which will be held on the brand new indoor Anna Meares Velodrome. 

The Omnium format has been changed by the UCI. It is now four events in one day instead of six over two days. I really feel that the new format suits me very well. The two 'sprinty' events (Flying Lap and Time Trial) have been removed. The Individual Pursuit has also been removed (which I am not happy about), but it has been replaced with a new event called the Tempo Ronde. This event pretty much sounds like a points race with a sprint on every lap. Like! So the program is now:

• Scratch Race
• Elimination
• Tempo Ronde
• Points Race

Overall, I am hoping for a much stronger track season this year than I had last. Even though I manged a couple of results last year, coming in with basically no road season really had an impact (after recovering from my two shoulder surgeries). This time around though, things are very different. I am looking forward to a fast and fun season with (hopefully) some results. I am considering having a crack at the Australian Championships in Sydney and there is also the Australian Masters Games in Tasmania and the World Masters Games in New Zealand. I doubt I will do all of those, but will see what happens. In any case, as I said, compared to last year, I am ready to go:

	2015 (by October)	2016 (by October)
Kilometres ridden:	10,500	16,000
TSS:	14,456	26,210
Days of racing:	6	29
FTP:	330 w	360 w
Weight:	90 kg	84 kg
Left arm strength as % of right (estimate):	65 - 75%	85 - 95%

Race Report: Australian Championships (MMAS3 40 - 44 years), Road Race, 1 October 2016 & Individual Time Trial, 3 October 2016

Road Race

This was the hardest road race I have ever done at masters level. Our field was extremely strong and included an ex-professional who has raced in the Giro d'Italia, the current world number two in our age group and a big handful of riders from New South Wales and Victoria who are still racing Elite A grade in their respective states. 

The course was a good one for me (17 km completed five times), with a long power climb and strong winds. My form was also on point, so I was looking forward to a good race.

The pace was solid from the start. We lost half the field on the climb on the first lap and by the second time up the climb, amazingly there were only twelve of us left. It was a huge confidence booster to still be in the front group at that point. A quick glance over the shoulder showed me a trail of dropped riders in small groups and solo spread across the countryside.

The group stayed at twelve for pretty much the remainder of the race with plenty of attacks and aggression. Tom Leaper from Victoria (Giro guy) broke clear near the end of lap four and stayed there. Another rider slipped off the front on the last climb and took the silver. This left me in a group of ten sprinting for the bronze. I finished 7th in that group for a 9th place overall. 

An exceptionally hard day out and I was very satisfied to be top ten in Australia:

Individual Time Trial

The ITT included the same climb we used in the road race. The course was basically downhill for 9 km and then (of course) a 9 km uphill return.

I felt good and did everything right. It was blowing a strong wind again so I made sure I stayed locked into my aero position, which I successfully did (even up the climb). My power numbers were where they should be, so all was good.

I did however, make a stupid mistake. The turnaround point was not the simple, single marker we use in Queensland, It was a bit more elaborate and there was actually a car there surrounded by markers. My mistake was that instead of turning around at the front marker, I went around the whole 'set up', effectively adding an extra few seconds to my time. After that 'mess', I remember thinking to myself, 'If I miss a place by a second or two, I'm going to uppercut myself'.

In the end, I finished up 8th. Another top ten that I was satisfied with. But (prepare for a whine about how much of an idiot I am), that turnaround mess cost me at least one place. I was 0.67 of a second behind 7th place and 4.27 seconds behind 6th. It is hard to not let your mind wander to 'what could have been'. In any case, I will take my 8th (it is a good result):

I would also like to make mention of my two Bikeline Racing clubmates who also competed in Griffith. Richard Macavoy (the masters version of the 'flying mullet') had a very consistent weekend with a 5th in the combined 30 - 39 years Road Race and a 5th in the 35 - 39 years Criterium. Trent West worked hard for Richard in the Road Race and then produced a solid 6th in the Individual Time Trial (in the same divisions as Richard). 

So there it is. The 2016 road racing season pretty much done. Overall, I am very pleased with what I achieved this year on the road. Even more than that I am happy to have had a great run with health and injuries that has resulted in me being on the bike and not in recovery mode. I would also like to thank my coach Mark Brady for his persistence with me. 

Next up I have my Everesting attempt on 8 October and I am really looking forward to getting back on my track bike not long after that.