2017: The Year in Review

It's hard not to sound all tacky and braggy when you write up a blog post like this...but the reality is that I am very satisfied with how 2017 went for me on the bike. As 'shamelessly boastful' as this post will sound, my feeling is one of gratitude over anything else. The main reasons for this positive cycling year are not what you would expect. All the 'standard' things went well; good coaching (thanks Mark!), hard training and a bit of luck here and there. As a 44 year old trying to fit bike racing in around a pretty hectic life, the game changers for me in 2017 were the fact that my health was fantastic (a few sniffles here and there and one badly timed weekend of being sick - more about that later), only one injury to deal with all year (a soft tissue back injury that dragged on for a bit) and another almost trouble free year for my sinuses. With a few short exceptions, the only time I stopped riding my bike this year was when my coach wanted me to and that makes a huge difference!

In terms of the review, I have broken it up into two categories of 'Extremely Happy' and 'Not so Happy'. There were of course other races I was pleased or not pleased with, but these are the ones that stand out for me:

Extremely Happy

I have realised that the 2017 results I am the most happy with are the ones I had to work for. The ones where I left nothing out there and in my mind, four races this year met that criteria more than others (in no particular order):

1st: Australian Championships - Team Pursuit (Open Masters)

Lining up with Andy Patten, Steve Storer and Sheldon Olivier, we became the first Queensland team to ever win this Australian Title. I ended up having to do the last two and a quarter laps in the final and I can't remember hurting that much for a long time.

2nd: World Masters Games - Individual Pursuit (MMAS3, 40-44)

I knew I would need a PB to make the final and guarantee myself a medal. I managed a 3 min 34 sec ride which put me in the gold medal ride, which I would lose later that day to Argentina's German Ariel Lopez. The qualifying ride was absolutely excruciating. 

1st: Queensland Championships - Omnium (MMAS1-4, 30-49)
As defending champion, I desperately wanted to win this. I was pushed hard all day and time after time thought I had nothing left, but managed to come away with the win.

6th: Charles Coin Memorial Road Race (Elite A)

Probably sounds strange to have a 6th place in this list. But as the oldest man in the race, to come away with a 6th, in nearly the strongest Queensland field you could assemble, for 130 km at 43.2 km/h, well yeah I was pretty stoked with that one. 

Not so Happy

So these are the ones that got away. The ones that bugged me for a while afterwards. Funnily enough, both are Individual Time Trials:

2nd: Queensland Championships - Individual Time Trial (MMAS3, 40-44)
This result means that I would never win the Queensland MMAS3 Individual Time Trial Title (5th, 3rd, 2nd, 2nd across 2013 - 2017 and I have gone to MMAS4 now). I was well beaten on the day by NSW's Ben Neppl, but I just didn't fire. I hated the course and the course hated me back.

21st: Australian Championships - Individual Time Trial (MMAS3, 40-44)

Six days earlier I had won the 18 km event at the Tour de Valley Individual Time Trial with one of the best rides I have ever had on a time trial bike. To say my form was good was an understatement. I raced this time trial with the beginnings of a 48 hour bug and finished a very disappointing 21st. 

So all in all, a great year and I am extremely fortunate to be backed by some amazing people. My wife Nadine and my two daughters Megan and Hayley, my coach Mark Brady, Colliers International Racing Team and all team sponsors and SPEEDPLAY Pedals; thank you to all of you for being in my corner, I couldn't do this without you:

2017 Podiums

1st: Queensland Championships - Individual Pursuit (MMAS3, 40-44) 

1st: Australian Championships - Team Pursuit (Open Masters) 

1st: Tour de Valley - Individual Time Trial - 18km - (MMAS, 40-49)

1st: Queensland Championships - Omnium (MMAS1-4, 30-49)

1st: Queensland Championships - Team Pursuit (Elite) 

2nd: Queensland Championships - Points Race (MMAS1-3, 30-44) 

2nd: World Masters Games - Individual Pursuit (MMAS3, 40-44) 

2nd: Cunningham Classic (Masters A) 

2nd: Queensland Championships - Individual Time Trial (MMAS3, 40-44)

3rd: Queensland Championships - Scratch Race (MMAS3, 40-44) 

3rd: Australian Championships - Individual Pursuit (MMAS3, 40-44) 

3rd: World Masters Games - Points Race (MMAS3, 40-44)

Race Report: Queensland Elite Track Championships, 24-25 November 2017

This would be my last set of races for the year. I'm not going to lie...being right at the end of a long year of racing, motivation levels were not high, but I was prepared to put a big effort in for one last weekend. I was entered in the 4km Team Pursuit with Darling Downs Cycling Club alongside Matt Hickey, Matt Locker and Trent West, the 15km Scratch Race and the 4k Individual Pursuit. 

4km Team Pursuit

We qualified with the fastest time of 4 min 39 sec. This of course put us in the gold medal ride-off later that evening. Not a blazingly fast time, but we rode well together and some of our team were on their first ever attempt at a team pursuit so we were pretty happy:

The final was a short time later and again we produced a controlled efort. We were up against the University Cycling Club who had qualified only one second slower than we did. It was close until late in the race when we managed to pull away and take the win by three seconds with a 4 min 37 sec effort. It's always nice to win a Queensland title:

Scratch Race

There were seventeen starters in this event and to say it was fast was an understatement. Five or six of the biggest young talents in Queensland track cycling involved and they absolutely tore it up. The field disintegrated very quickly and there were officially only four finishers. I was pulled out by about a third of the way through and at that point there were only eight riders left. I was actually quite happy with that effort:

I decided at that point to withdraw from the 4km Individual Pursuit the next day. My legs were shattered and my heart just wasn't in it. 

Credit to St.George and Darling Downs Cycling Clubs for the photos I have used in this blog post.

So that's it for 2017! Unfortunately I was forced to miss the Queensland Masters Track Championships as they were moved to a December timeslot this year (due to the Commonwealth Games) and I had already booked and paid for an awesome family vacation at Noosa during that time. Not a worry though, as all of my energy will go into the Australian Masters Track Championships which will be held in Melbourne in early March 2018...right after I have a little rest. 

Race Report: Queensland Omnium Championships (Masters 1-4), 11 November 2017

I'm not going to lie...this race was a big goal for me. I won it last year and I was dead keen to pull off a repeat. I love Omnium racing. I honestly think I preferred the older six race format, but the new four race format does seem to suit me well. I think the reason for that is the fact that the four races are jammed into one day with minimal rest in-between. The field of twelve was very strong and included Robbie Reid, a previous Masters World medallist in the points race, Sheldon Olivier, who has a bag full of Australian and State medals in Masters track endurance races, Peter Nowill, who finished third last year and actually represented Australia at an Olympic Games in the steeplechase and Matt Locker, who on his day can pursuit as fast as anyone. There were other guys in there who would make things tough as well. I was going to have a hard time with that lot. 

Scratch Race

This was 'stupid' fast and the track ended up with riders from one end to the other. I tried a few breakaway attempts but nothing worked. Half the field were there for the final sprint and I unfortunately had to lead out. I think we were all super tired as I took it long and managed to hold on for the win. 

Tempo Ronde

I still have a hard time working out exactly how to race these things. They are still a relatively new race where there is a five lap tempo section and then fifteen laps with a 'winner takes all' situation of one point every lap until the end. Just before mid-way I took one of the points and had a small gap. I noticed the riders behind me hesitating so I took off and established a bit of a lead. I managed to stay there for the next six laps, securing seven points overall and enough for the win. 

Elimination

The only way I can ride these is near the front, or on the front, riding tempo and keeping myself out of the 'washing machine' that can happen at the back. This strategy worked well and I made it to the final two riders with Robbie Reid. Robbie is quicker than me in a sprint and he took the win pretty easily and I was second. Going into the final event I was leading with Robbie a close second behind. Sheldon Olivier had been consistent all day and was in third.

Points Race

I was worried. I had a slim lead and the only event left was the specialty of the rider in second place. My hope was that my endurance would come through for me as I was going to have a very hard time managing Robbie's speed. There were six sprints to be contested and I knew I had to concentrate, make no errors and score as many points as I could. By halfway through, I had slipped down to second place (riders can see live points on the giant scoreboard at the Anna Meares Velodrome). It was still very close though and not over. In the second last sprint I managed to get three points and Robbie missed out altogether. This gave me a two point lead going into the final sprint (which carried double points of 10, 6, 4, 2). It was anyone's race at that point. I positioned myself well and gave it absolutely full gas at 200 m to go. It was a bit of a blur after that. I was so shattered I was pedalling with my elbows by the time I hit the line, but I managed to win that sprint and the overall title. Happy days! Robbie in second place and Sheldon hanging on for third. 

One of my biggest goals of the season and a huge TICK in the box. I have to give some massive kudos to my coach Mark Brady. Two weeks before this race I withdrew from the Australian Masters Road Championships due to illness. Mark had exactly fourteen days to make sure I recovered, not lose any of my power and endurance and try to put a little speed into my legs. Once again his plan came together and I am eternally grateful.

Only two more races to come for me in 2017, then time for a little fun and rest.

Zwift Racing; Online vs. In Real Life (The Showdown!)

If you know me, you know I love Zwift. I get on the platform as often as I can. If you are not exactly sure what Zwift is check it out here: zwift.com. I am also a proud member of the Race WBR (World Bicycle Relief) Team, which is an extremely active and competitive race team on Zwift:

I have always spent a lot of time on the indoor trainer. This is something that has been dictated by my circumstances. My schedule is pretty hectic with work and family commitments and the winter months where I live are cold enough to make morning training a misery. I have many days where its either train indoors or out in the -4 degree chill so off to the pain cave in the shed I go with regular monotony. 

For me though, the most important discovery with Zwift has been the racing. Now I know full well that people cheat in Zwift racing. A subtle lie with your weight data can make a big difference never mind a huge lie. But in the end, I can live with that, because the workouts I get in Zwift races are just fantastic. A big part of that reason, is that I have to race A grade, which generally puts me into events with some quality bike riders (A grade riders have a minimum of 4 watts per kg at FTP).

The other reason Zwift racing has been a great find is that I have a hard time getting to local racing. I live in a smallish country town with a major centre an hour's drive away. This makes accessing local club racing tough. Do the maths with me...one hour drive, fifteen minutes set up and registration, ten minutes warm up, thirty-five minute race, ten minutes to regain composure, one hour drive home. That's three hours and ten minutes all for a short criterium (to be fair, they are very often longer than that). Let's take a look at the power data for one of those criteriums:

Compare this to a Zwift race. Do the maths with me again...five minutes to get ready, ten minutes to warm up, thirty-five minutes to race, ten minutes to wind down. That's fifty-five minutes for a thirty-five minute race. Let's take a look at the power data for one of those Zwift races:

Do you see what I am getting at here? Don't get me wrong, I love the local criteriums and I would never abandon them completely...but it's a hard sell when you see power data like that and consider the time out of my day taken to compete.

Now I understand that there is a social aspect of racing as well and that is important. I also get that there are tactical and race strategy experiences to be gained, but to be honest, with a million criteriums under my belt, I reckon I'm probably alright. 

The point I am making here is that in terms of training stress and workout quality, I can access a 'club criterium like' experience, in my shed, as often as I want. Potentially, I can do this a couple of times a day if I wanted to. And that dear readers....is nothing short of awesome.

Ride on!

Race Report: Australian Masters Road Championships, 27-29 October 2017

Having these championships at the Gold Coast and only three hours from home was a real bonus. Having the opportunity to race on a closed circuit that would be used for the upcoming Commonwealth Games Road Race would be an awesome opportunity. Unfortunately, the weekend unfolded a long way from what I had hoped for.

The Individual Time Trial was first up on the Friday. It had only been six days since my win at the Tour de Valley Individual Time Trial, so I was very confident of my form. The course in the Tallebudgera Valley was definitely tougher than the previous week, but I was still eager for a good time and a strong overall placing.

The first sign of trouble came in the warm up. It normally takes me a long time to get an elevated heart rate and it shot up quite easily. With that, I just didn't feel right; tight legs and just a general feeling of struggling. I tried to brush this aside and focus on the task at hand.

I started my event and for a few minutes all was good. Then, it was if the power had just drained from my legs. The harder I pushed, the slower I went. No power, elevated heart rate and I felt like my lungs were screaming. By the finish I had faded to a less than impressive 21st place. Incredibly, my average power was 72 watts lower than the race six days earlier, with an average and maximum heart rate 6 beats higher. Not good...

Had a long chat with coach Mark Brady and we both agreed that there was something amiss. When you have a bad day you drop a few watts, but not 72! We agreed to have a good recovery including a solid night's sleep and see what tomorrow would bring.

I woke up the next day feeling like a truck had run over me. I couldn't eat and was having dizzy spells throughout the day. I clearly had some kind of sickness in my system. I didn't race the criterium and made the decision to withdraw from the Sunday road race later that day.

Very disappointed! I absolutely love the criterium course at Nerang and I missed the opportunity to race on the Commonwealth Games course.

I need to keep things in perspective though. I have had a fantastic run with injury and sickness as it has been a good year or two since I have had anything like this impact on my racing.

It was time to have a little rest and recovery before switching my attention to the upcoming Queensland Omnium Championships in two weeks time. Road legs OFF - Track legs ON. 

Race Report: Tour de Valley ITT, Currumbin Valley, 22 October 2017

I am a little bit behind with my blogging...is that even a 'thing'?

I have been a long term supporter of this awesome event, held in the lovely Currumbin Valley, having raced it every year (except one) since 2012. I believe that this course is being used for the upcoming Commonwealth Games Individual Time Trial. There was a 36km or an 18km race option this time around. I was happy to ride either, but given that the upcoming Australian Masters Championships ITT was 18km, I opted for that one. The age group was masters men, 40-49 years. There were only seven of us in there, but the smaller fields are standard for time trials which are such specialised events. 

I felt pretty good when warming up so was hopeful of a strong ride on what is a good course for me. There are a few rolling hills in the middle, but the majority of the course you can just get a fast position on the aerobars and let the watts fall out. 

I could see I was going alright by the number of riders I was catching (I was the last starter and we were all at 30 second intervals). When the results came out I had managed the win, in a time of 24 minutes and 6 seconds.

So overall, I was very happy with this. I felt good, produced solid power numbers and it is obviously nice to come away with a win. Happy days!

Race Report: Queensland Road Teams Series (QRTS) Sunshine Coast, 7-8 October 2017

QRTS racing always makes for a tough weekend out and this was no exception. Three stages across two days on some difficult courses. 

Stage 1 - 8km Individual Time Trial (Hill Climb) - Montville

A hill climb is always going to be a challenge for me. I'm running pretty lean these days, but my height of 193cm still brings with it plenty of weight (84kg). Having said that, I am really happy with how this went. I managed a time of 18 min 51 sec, in 52nd place of the 92 starters. I even caught two riders who started in front of me!

Stage 2 - 1 Hour + 3 Lap Criterium - Maroochydore 

This was a typical QRTS criterium with an average speed of 47 km/h. I managed to find a pretty good spot in the bunch; out of trouble near the back but always with good company. A lot of riders were popped and I was pleased that I managed to stay with the main bunch. The only issue was a crash with two laps to go. I didn't come down, but was caught up behind it. This cost me 19 seconds, putting me in 46th for the stage. Still a pleasing finish for a crazy fast criterium.

Stage 3 - 120 km Road Race - North Arm

This stage was on a tough 10km circuit. The first four laps was on a slightly easier version of the circuit but the last eight included a nasty, steep pinch of about 400m or so that was guaranteed to test out the bunch. The pace was up and down as breaks sorted themselves out, but the pace up that pinch was never off. I felt pretty good (as I always seem to on day two of these things). There were riders getting shelled left right and centre, but I managed to stay in contact right up until the very last time up the pinch, with less that two kilometres to go. This put me in 44th for the stage, with nearly half the field abandoning:

(Credit: Josh Curry for the photo)

So overall for the weekend, I ended up 37th out of the 92 starters, which I am pretty happy about. Definitely a great weekend of racing and should hopefully give me some form for upcoming events. The team had a solid weekend as well with some good rides and a fair bit of grit shown on tough courses. I would also like to thank Colliers racing team and all sponsors for their ongoing support in allowing me and others the opportunity to race in QRTS this year.

SPEEDPLAY Pedals; The Verdict

I have been using SPEEDPLAY Pedals on all three of my bikes (road, time trial and track) for almost three months now, after having spent many years on another type of pedal. I have been using the following models:

Road and Time Trial Bike: ZERO (click)

Track Bike: AERO (click)

If you search online, you will find some talk of how difficult and tricky they are to set up. Honestly, I didn't find that at all. There are a few more steps to set up compared to other pedals, but if you follow the instructions, it is no issue at all. SPEEDPLAY make some excellent 'how to' videos which are really useful:

The one thing I was worried about when changing pedals, was the float. My previous brand had a lot of float and this always worked well for me because I have always had 'twitchy' feet and tend to move around a lot. The float in the SPEEDPLAY Pedals works very well and is extremely adjustable. This adjustment is also covered in the above video.

There is a little ongoing maintenance with SPEEDPLAY Pedals which is not the norm for other brands. Having said that, it is as simple as using a little grease now and then and the occasional squirt of dry lube on the cleats. This is covered in the below video:

Set up was very easy once the cleats were installed. Stack height on these pedals is very low and I was lucky enough to not require any seat height adjustment at all. I set my pedals up on a three bolt shoe, using the SPEEDPLAY four bolt adapter and it worked perfectly.

Without a doubt though, the best thing about these pedals (and the biggest difference when comparing to my previous pedals), is the power transmission. There is a positive and direct relationship between your foot and the pedal and it feels like no power is being lost. This is especially the case for big power efforts out of the seat both on the open road and on the velodrome.

So in summary, this change has been a positive one for me. Old habits die hard and after so many years on my previous system, I was a little stubborn about the change. No regrets at all now as I am overwhelmingly pleased with the performance of these SPEEDPLAY Pedals.

Disclaimer: I am supplied with pedals by SPEEDPLAY. 

Race Report: Queensland Road Teams Series (QRTS) Gympie, 2-3 September 2017

QRTS racing is pretty much as hard as it gets in Queensland. I was racing in a six man squad with my Toowoomba based Colliers International Racing Team. Joining me would be Jonathan Curry, Taj Jones, Jono Noble, Louis Pijpers and Trent West. A real mix of youth and experience with Jono Noble by far our strongest rider after some great performances at QRTS and NRS level this year. With three stages across two days on what looked like some brutal courses, it was always going to be a tough weekend.

Stage 1 - 123 km Road Race:

With 2,000m of climbing, this was always going to be a difficult one for me. For the first time in a long time, my legs were not great. I was literally in trouble from the start and ended up popping from the front group at the 30km mark on a steep berg. There were literally bodies strewn all over the road and I did manage to find myself in little groups from time to time. Having said that, I was on my lonesome for probably 60km or so. I ended up 66th of the ninety starters, which is probably not too bad given the amount of climbing and the quality of the field. My concern though, was my shitty legs. Not something I have experienced in a long while. 

Stage 2 - 55 minutes + 2 laps Criterium

As is so often the case with me, the second day of a weekend race brings better legs and that is exactly what happened. This one was a fast and furious affair with an average speed of a touch over 45.5 km/h. One highlight for me was cutting through a corner a touch fast and shoulder charging a giant plastic bollard, which in turn sailed onto the footpath sending spectators scattering. I was happy to spice up their Sunday morning. I finished safely in the main bunch and was very pleased with that.

Stage 3 - 31 km Team Time Trial

We returned to the road race course from the day before, albeit with a different start and finish point. We were up against it right from the start. Taj withdrew after a spill in the criterium and Jonathan succumbed to an injury very early, leaving four of us on the road. The time is taken on the fourth rider so we had to stay together no matter what. Louis was having a tough day out but he fought gallantly and we looked after him to make sure we made it to the line together. We ended up 9th of the fifteen teams which is not a bad result all things considered. The good news for me was that again my legs were feeling good and I was happy with how I rode. 

So there you have it, a very tough weekend of racing which has hopefully set me up well for the Masters Queensland Road Race Championships this coming Saturday. A huge thank you to Colliers International Racing Team and all our sponsors for making opportunities like this possible. We also had plenty of support on the sidelines from friends and family and that is also very much appreciated. Finally....credit young photographer extraordinaire, Josh Curry, for the photos. 

Race Report: Queensland Individual Time Trial Championships, 19 August 2017

This was my last crack at winning the state time trial title for 40-44 years men (I go up to the 45-49 division next year). I had previously finished 5th (2013), 3rd (2014) and 2nd (2016). The course was on North Stradbroke Island. I have some strong views about this location and course, but Cycling Queensland's Social Media Policy prevents me from making further comment. 

It was an exceptionally windy day and (like may others) I had no opportunity to ride the course before the day. It was 20km out and back with quite a few hills. Overall, I felt pretty good and managed to keep the power where it should have been. The hills were a lot steeper than I expected and this definitely knocked my time around as I needed to put a lot of watts out to prevent slowing down too much. I ended up riding 29 min 46 sec, which was good enough for second place. I was beaten by a rider from NSW (Ben Neppl) so as much as I don't have the title, I was at least the fastest Queenslander on the day. No shame in losing to Ben though, he is a good bike rider and rode an impressive 29 min 02 sec which was one of the fastest 20km times across all divisions on the day. Ben and I have raced each other on the track previously and recently shared two podiums at the Masters Track Nationals in Sydney.

So there you have it, not quite what I wanted, but happy all the same. I also managed to represent both of my registered kits on the day!

Race Report: Cunningham Classic, 5 August 2017

The Cunningham Classic is regarded as the most important road race on the Queensland calendar. It has been running for a long time now and it still manages to attract some quality fields. This year was especially significant for me, as it was twenty years since the first of my two Elite A wins in 1997 (and then again in 1998). After the good legs I had at the Charles Coin Memorial, I actually considered riding Elite A. 171km though, is very different to the 126km at the Charles Coin, so I opted for the 96km Masters A race instead. 

Almost fifty riders lined up in Masters A. I went in with a rough game plan of 'see what happens after the climb - and hopefully there will be crosswinds'. I felt reasonable at the start and I could feel my legs improving as the race went on. I stayed out of trouble early and didn't really get too involved. I went up the main climb no problem, cresting over the top in (I think) fourth spot. 

After the climb things started to get interesting. The cross wind wasn't too bad, but it was certainly enough to make things difficult. This is where I decided to get active and make sure I was in every move that looked like it had potential (which turned out to be most of them). 

I lost count of how many breaks I was in, but at 18km to go, I escaped with Ian Johnston (Hamilton Cycling Club). Ian is a very solid rider, but I knew he had a much stronger sprint than me. We worked very hard together and managed to get a lead, which by the look of it, never went much above thirty seconds or so. Coming into the finish the bunch was closing fast and with about two kilometres to go Jack Brumpton (Lifecycle Cycling Club) managed to get across to us. We manged to hold the bunch off (by about nine seconds) which was just enough for Ian to take a well deserved win, with me in second and Jack in third. I also managed to pick up the 'Most Impressive Rider' award, after being so active in the second half of the race.

Rob Walker (CyclingTex) helped out on the day and put together one of his vlogs. It is worth a look:

Cunningham Classic

Race Report: Charles Coin Memorial Road Race, 30 July 2017

It has been a few years since I have raced in Elite A. I still have an Elite A / Masters A grading, so it is nice to have the option. There are a couple of reasons why I chose Elite A on this occasion. Firstly, the morning start suited me a lot better than the afternoon timeslot that Masters A had. Secondly, the Charles Coin course has always been good for me and I thought that the fast and long hit out in Elite A would do good things in terms of preparing me for events later in the year. So 126km with some solid young riders was ahead of me. I was in fact, the oldest man in the race at 44.

Thirty-five of us started the race and it was a solid pace right from the start. A group of about seven slipped off the front early, but they never really managed a big lead. This left the bunch in a position where a reasonable sort of chase could keep the break in view and this situation went on for literally around 100km. At around that time, the break started to unravel with Kaden Groves and Ollie Smith forging ahead on their own (they would finish first and second). The leftovers from the break came back to the bunch. Two riders (including Troy Herfoss) went up the road, leaving a shatterred and tired bunch of about twenty or so racing for fifth place.

We hit the last climb near the finish line very hard. Around seven of us slipped off the front and went full gas down the other side. I had a really well timed sprint with surprisingly good legs and took second in that group, for sixth place overall. 

You don't need to be too switched on to realize that I am pretty happy with this ride. Our average speed was 43.2km/h and there was plenty of talk about how tough this race was. This was probably my best 'non-masters' result since getting back on it six years ago. 

Early Impressions of Zwift

Zwift is really old news for a lot of people. I am conscious of the fact that I am way behind the times in terms of catching on to an indoors cycling platform that has been popular worldwide for a few years. Zwift is something I have been meaning to look into for ages and I had promised myself I would set it up in time for this winter; which is exactly what I have done. Now, after a few weeks of using it, I have the opportunity to share my perspective as both a competitive rider and as a coach.

Why Indoor Training?

If you know me, are coached by me or have been coached by me in the past, you will know that I am a huge believer in indoors training. You get massive 'bang for your buck' in terms of quality vs. time invested. I find it greatly amusing when people tell me that training indoors is not 'real training'. Come and spend a few minutes watching me in my shed and I will change your mind! It is also a far safer option in the early morning and night when it is dark and in winter it keeps you out of the elements. If you know me well you would probably be aware that I have battled chronic sinusitis for the majority of my life. I made some significant changes around diet and nutrition in the last two years and have set myself a '5 degree rule' when it comes to training in the cold (less than 5 and I train indoors). These changes have had a major positive impact on my sinusitis and I am looking to keep things going as they are. Whether or not there is any scientific basis for my '5 degree rule' or not, my N=1 study of myself has been positive and I am not prepared to modify things. This does mean that at this time of year (where I live often has sub-zero mornings), I am indoors most week days, as I have no opportunity to train later in the day and afternoons can be very challenging due to work and family commitments. This is where Zwift looks like it will be an absolute live saver. Zwift helps overcome some of the boredom and mundane nature of training indoors and the races are a superb workout (more about the races later).

Computer Set Up

The Zwift website has all the information you need about this. For the record I am just running my Quarq power meter (s), using an Elite Turbo Muin trainer and a standard laptop connected to a 4G mobile modem. A little ANT+ USB dongle connects the Quarq to the laptop. From a technology point of view, this set up has been spot on so far.

Training

Any established indoor workout is transferable to Zwift. You just ride around any of the courses and do the prescribed efforts. There is no difference in the end with what you are actually doing on the bike, but the Zwift courses make the time pass a little easier. Even longer rides and things like hill repeats work well on Zwift and are a great training option.

Racing

For me, the races are the best thing about Zwift. A quick Google search will get you all the information you need about how to join a race. In a nutshell, the races depend completely on the watts / kg formula (FTP / weight) as this is translated into speed on the current gradient. Amazingly, drafting works as it requires less power to stay behind someone at a given speed. When you first read how the racing works, you kind of wonder how realistic it can actually be. The answer is 'very'! I am absolutely loving the racing; great fun and an awesome workout. The only issue I am having with the racing is the use of the watts / kg formula. You need to be honest when you enter your data (although I am sure that a lot of people lie). For me, my FTP / weight puts me at close to 4.28 watts. Zwift races have grades like regular races, and anyone over 4 watts ends up in A grade (sigh). The issue for me though, is that like a lot of riders, I have a noticeable gap between the power I produce indoors vs. outdoors. If I used indoor only data to determine my FTP, I would come in at close to 3.92 watts, which would put me in B grade. So I am kind of 'stuck' with this situation. No doubt about it, I am getting an absolute flogging in A grade, normally finishing in the last few riders, but I am getting a brilliant workout. I also somehow feel that going with the 3.92 number would be cheating, but the races would be easier and I would have more of a chance. For now (given that for me Zwift is all about quality riding) I will stick with A grade. I do see though, that a series of masters races has just started where you race with riders in the same age categories as normal masters championships races (regardless of power). You have to actually submit evidence of your age (a copy of your racing licence) to be allocated an age group. This sound extremely interesting and I am looking forward to getting involved.

Negatives

To be honest, there is not much about Zwift that I don't like. The only bugbear I have is that the process where you exit a ride and have it save and upload to Strava is extremely temperamental (this seems to be a known issue). Other than that, I am liking it a lot.

Summary

So there you have it...I am completely hooked! A fantastic indoors option in the cold weather that gives one hell of a workout. See you out (in) there soon!

Race Report: World Masters Games, 26-28 April 2017

The World Masters Games are held every four years and the event claims to be the world's largest multi-sport event. 28,000 athletes competed and 300 of those were in the track cycling program. There were 17 riders in my 40-44 years division. The games were based at Auckland but the track program was held at the Avantidrome, in Cambridge (about two hours south of Auckland).

3 km Individual Pursuit

This event went above expectation for me. I qualified with a personal best time of 3.34.14 (previous personal best was 3.36.5). That is a big chunk of time and I was exceptionally happy with that. Fortunately, that was enough to qualify me in second place and a spot in the gold medal final later that day. I was up against Argentina's German Ariel Lopez, who had qualified fastest in a very impressive 3.30. I had to try something to close that gap. I put a bigger gear on and started harder than I ever had before. We were dead even at halfway but I blew up and faded pretty badly after that. I ended up with a 3.38 and German with a 3.33. But in the end, I was pretty happy with my silver medal. New Zealand's Andrew Grainger took the bronze:

20 km Points Race

This was a fast and furious affair with two Argentinians riding very aggressively and a group of strong New Zealanders determined not to let them get away. I sat back and watched this battle unfold for a while. Eventually the elastic broke and I chased hard to get across to the two Argentinians and we were gone. We lapped the field before too long and secured the three medals. Both riders were a lot quicker than me in the sprints, so I ended up with the bronze. Marcos Pettovello with the gold and German Ariel Lopez with the silver. Another result that I am very happy with. I also need to mention that in terms of safety, this was one of the wildest track races I have ever done. My two breakaway companions were not too worried about the safety of everyone else; me top of the list!

750 m Time Trial

This event is normally one for the sprinters and this would be no exception. I rode 53 seconds (which I was actually quite happy with) and finished in 8th place.

10 km Scratch Race

I like my scratch races a lot longer than this. Despite that, I rode  aggressively and tried very hard to escape the bunch. There were still ten or so of us left at the finish and I ended up 6th.

So overall, a silver medal and a bronze medal. An outcome I am very (very) satisfied with.

The other highlight of the trip was hanging out with a very fun and supportive group of Aussies (including Queenslanders of course). Too many to mention by name, but the middle of the track was a lot of fun! 

I must admit though, I am relieved that track season 2016 / 2017 has finished. I have trained through four major championships since October last year and I am grateful to be able to stop. I couldn't be happier with how the season has gone. I won't bore you with a list of what went well, but I will just leave this here (blatant brag picture coming up). Thanks as always to my coach Mark Brady for helping make this happen and my ever-supportive wife Nadine as well:

So what's next? Some road racing before long. I have just had a week off the bike which I thoroughly enjoyed. Queensland Road Team Series Round 1 with Colliers Racing Team is just five weeks away.

Race Report: Australian Masters Track Titles, 10-11 March 2017

This track season continues to progress better than expected. To be honest though, I am working really hard for this at the moment, making some big personal sacrifices and really pushing myself hard in terms of training and diet. With one major competition to go (more about that later) I am hoping to keep things rolling well until the end of April. 

Before I discuss the races from Sydney, I want to make a comment about how impressed I was with the Queensland camp. I have never really spent time with the twenty or so Queensland masters riders who attended the nationals. They are a truly supportive, helpful and extremely friendly bunch. I felt right at home and was completely impressed with the level of camaraderie; great stuff!

Masters 3 Individual Pursuit

I had an important lesson on temperature and air pressure during this event. I was hoping to beat my PB of 3 min 36 sec, which I set at the new Anna Meares Velodrome during the Queensland Titles.  I produced a qualifying ride with ten more watts of power than when I set my PB, but missed it by three seconds with a 3 min 39 sec. A much cooler track with higher air pressure being the reason. This did qualify me in third place after two NSW riders bettered my time. I raced Sheldon Olivier from Queensland for the bronze medal that afternoon (incredibly, Sheldon and I have now pursuited against each other five times in a row). I managed to ride a 3 min 37 sec to take the bronze medal. I am extremely satisfied with this result. I honestly believe I can go quicker than this next year, with continued improvements. 

All Ages (Open) Masters Team Pursuit

A few weeks back, Stephen Storer (Gold Coast), Sheldon Olivier, Andy Patten (Brisbane) and myself, agreed that we should enter a Queensland Team Pursuit line up in the Australian Titles. We had one training session at Anna Meares Velodrome, which went very well. Although we had limited training time together, we are all extremely experienced and had strong hopes for the event. It was a high quality field with six different teams starting. We rode a 3 min 24 sec to qualify in first place, securing a ride off for the gold medal the same day. Hunter District (NSW) rode much stronger in the final against us than they had in qualifying and pushed us all the way. We managed to produce a 3 min 21 sec ride to win the gold medal and the Australian title by 1.5 seconds, missing the Australian record by less than a second. Obviously, a result that the four of us are very proud of! Especially as we are the first team from Queensland to ever win this Australian title. 

Two events and two Australian medals. Happy days:

So what's next? World Masters Games, 26-28 April in Auckland, New Zealand. I have entered the full program of five events (yes, even the sprints). The Individual Pursuit though, will be my main focus and that is run on the first day. I am very much looking forward to this event.

The only other 'biggie' for me on the calendar between now and than is the Masters A Tyalgum Cup road race, which is in early April on a tough circuit just over the Queensland / NSW border. I do have my 'track legs' on, but hopefully I can persuade them to be 'road legs' for the afternoon. 

Product Review: Cycles Fanatic Sprinter Aero Road Handlebars

Hopefully you have ended up here because you are looking for a review of carbon components sold by Cycle Fanatic USA. This is a link the their website:

http://www.cyclesfanatic.com

I had been searching for a long time online for a pair of carbon handlebars for my track bike that were quite deep, shallow and also had enough cut away / sweep that I didn't hit my wrists on them when sprinting. The Fanatic Sprinter Aero Road Handlebars looked like they may be exactly what I was looking for. This is a link to the product on the Cycles Fanatic Website:

http://www.cyclesfanatic.com/fanatic-sprinter-aero-road-handlebars-carbon-short-shallow

The bars arrived a short time later and I was extremely disappointed. 

Firstly, I attempted to install the bars. The recommended torque rating was 6 nm. Using less than that with a torque wrench, the bars cracked. Obviously no quality there at all.

Secondly, I then noticed that the bars were clearly being sold as a Zipp 'knock off'. This was plainly obvious by the fact that the bars carried a 'legal disclaimer' sticker that indicated that Zipp were the manufacturer:

Thirdly, I contacted Cycles Fanatic USA twice by email and once by Facebook message, seeking a refund and my attempts to communicate have been ignored. When I purchased the bars initially they had communicated with me on that email address no problem at all.

My experience with these handlebars has been extremely negative and based on that, it is my opinion that prospective buyers should avoid Cycles Fanatic USA. 

Race Report: Queensland Masters Track Titles, 10-12 February 2017

My 2016 / 2017 Track season had all been about two Queensland events and then based on my performance in those, I would make decisions about the Australian Masters Track Titles and the World Masters Games (more about those later). I put a big fat TICK against the first Queensland event when I managed to win the Masters 1-4 Queensland Omnium Title in November and I am delighted to report that there is now also a TICK sitting next to the Queensland Masters Track Titles.

Masters 1-3 Points Race

This 20 km event ended up combining three age categories covering 30-44 year olds. I was leading early on, but Sheldon Olivier from the University of Queensland Club was consistently quicker than me in the sprints. He overtook me on points and ended up winning by a good margin. I managed to hang on for the silver medal. 

Masters 3 Individual Pursuit
The 3 km test would prove to be the highlight of the weekend for me. I went into the qualifying round anticipating being happy with a 3 min 40 sec and being elated with anything quicker. When I put in a 3 min 36 sec and broke the state record, I was just a little chuffed. This qualified me in first place and the next day I won the final in an almost identical time (0.31 sec slower) just to prove it wasn't a fluke.

Masters 3 Scratch Race
10 km is a short event for me and it was always going to be difficult to shake the sprinters before the finish. I had a little drama before the start as well. I punctured my beloved rear disc wheel warming up on the rollers. I had to race with my spare which is nowhere near as fast as the disc. As you can imagine this annoyed me no end. I tried to race aggressively and a lot of the quicker guys did drop off, but Hamish Wright from the Mackay Club (a very, very good sprinter) was still there at the finish and he won it well. I hung on for the bronze medal.

So what now? I have decided to compete in both the Australian Titles in less than four weeks and the World Masters Games (these are not world championships, no world titles on offer, that is a different event) in eleven weeks.

My immediate focus is on the Australian Titles in Sydney. I will race the Individual Pursuit and the Scratch Race / Points Race (they race one or the other, not both). I am also very happy to have been invited to race in a Queensland Team Pursuit team with Andrew Patten, Sheldon Olivier and Stephen Storer (three very good masters track cyclists). I believe we are a real chance of securing a medal at the titles.

Wish me luck!

Race Report: A Grade Club Criterium, 28 January 2017

I wouldn't normally blog about a club criterium, but this one had five special features that I think are worth talking about:

1- It was my birthday!

2- It was the first club race I have won for well over two years.

3- My three girls (Nadine, Megan, Hayley) were there to watch me.

4- Second place was a fourteen year old future hitter named Declan Trezise.

5 - There were a heap of great photos taken by local photographers and then posted on some of the Toowoomba Cycling Facebook pages (thank you to those photographers).

So the race... Pretty standard club race at Glenvale. I attacked plenty (as did others) and we ended up with only four of the ten starters sprinting it out for the win. I sprinted hard and early and managed to hang on for the win: