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!