Tempus Fugit ITT (Summer) Race Report 2013

Tempus Fugit ITT (Summer) 35+ 3/4

Field Size: 25

Placing: 12

Start Time: 9:17am  (Finishing time 00:28:31)

Teammates: Manny Managbanag

Average Speed: 23.3 MPH, Top Speed 36.5 MPH

Average HR: 178 Max HR: 185

Power: No Power for TT bike

Elevation Ascent:  604 Ft.

Weather:  65.7 degrees avg,  little drizzly, not much wind

Race Data http://tpks.ws/MTkN

                I got a good night sleep and woke up feeling rested.  Had my normal pre-race breakfast, packed some Clif Bars, and some Peet’s coffee.   My Specialized TT bike was all ready to go.   I use my Zipp 404s with a Wheelbuilder Aerodisk cover for my rear wheel.  Awesome set up for now!  I pre-rode this course earlier in the week on my road bike.  Good pavement and you can stay in aero position entire time.  Rollers going out and a 180 degree turn around that splits the course on the return.  My goal was to get sub 30 min, and finish in top 10.  I was racing in the combines 3/4 and wanted to at least place higher than some 3s.  Registration happens on the side of the road before the parking and start line.  So pullover and register then go to parking lot to warm up.  I got a 20 minute warm-up on the trainer.  I was shooting for 30, but ran out of time.  I used to enjoy showing up a little late because my nerves would get to me if I had any idle time.  Now I need to start getting to races early, because I keep cutting myself short on warm-ups and getting to the start line first.  Legs and body felt just fine.  I moved my arm rest in about 1 ½ inches to make my shoulders more closely and a more aggressive aero position.  During training this week it was hurting my forearms a bit, but didn’t bother me by the time I was racing. 

             Lined up at start and we are 1 minute apart.  There is no ramp to start on and they don’t have anyone holding you up at the start.  :(  It took me an extra try to clip in on the left side once I started.  Shoot thats 1 second down.  Got into a good position and settled in.  Since I don’t have a power meter I used my HR to gauge my effort.  I aimed for a HR of 180 on the way out (Threshold) and 183 on the way back.  Less climbing on the way to the finish line, and I could take a second or too off the pedals on fast turns if needed.  I stayed tucked the entire time till the turn around.  I need to practice this sharp turnaround.  Doing a 180 around a cone on a TT bike while clipped in on a wet surface is tough! I lost a few seconds here.  I quickly accelerated and got aero again.  It feels so awesome going fast on a TT bike!  No one was going to catch me; the guy behind me was 90 seconds off the back now.  I never saw my one minute ahead guy.  The sharp turns towards the end were approaching and I stayed aero for all but one!  It was just because I wasn’t used to the course yet.  That will come in time.  My last 2 miles I was pushing it hard and leaving it all on the course.  I finished strong and happy with a 00:28:31 finish time. 

Quite a few of us finished within seconds of each other.  I was only 11 seconds out of a top 10.   I did beat some Cat 3 guys also.  I can see where I could have picked up some seconds.  This ITT by Red Kite Racing happens in April and August.  Hopefully it stays around.

                 

                My next race is Fremont PeakHill Climb September 8th!  NCNCAs Hill ClimbChampionship!

             

Thanks to SJBC!

Thanks to Clif Bar!

Thanks to Specialized!

Thanks to my Teammates!

Thanks to Concept Cyclery in Morgan Hill!

Always a thanks to my wife and daughter!

Thanks for reading!

Patterson Pass RR Race Report

Patterson Pass RR Livermore, CA (35+ 4’s) 2 Laps 45 Miles Total

Field Size: 19

Placing: 15

Start Time: 8:35  (Finishing time 2:23:00)

Teammates: Tom Stanis, Giles Douglas

Average Speed: 18.6 MPH, Top Speed 47.8 MPH

Average HR: 166 Max HR: 187

Power: 233 avg  661 max

Elevation Ascent:  4,760 Ft.

Weather:  72.1 deg avg, sunny on Tracy side, and foggy on Livermore side, windy, with cross winds, and tailwainds

Training Peaks Race Data 

                This is my 2^nd time racing Patterson Pass RR.  It’s a great training race for me.  I can climb the hills, but burn a lot of matches on the flats of Altamont Pass Rd.  Both areas that I need to work on.  I am in the middle of a build period in training right now.  I woke up feeling great.  I am sticking with my new pre-race meal routine, it’s working out great.  I am riding my Mavic Kysirium SL’s for this race. These are my training clincher wheels but have a lower profile.  The winds on this course can be really strong.  I just put some new tires on them too.  My normal race wheels are Zipp 404 tubulars.  I switched my 11-28 to the Mavic’s also.  That will come in handy on Patterson Pass Rd climb.  I didn’t get more than 15 minutes to warm up on the trainer.  I wanted at least 30 min but ran out of time. I also wanted to line up first at the start line.  The past few races I have showed up later.  On the races where you can’t cross the double yellow line (center line rule) it’s hard to keep moving up in the pack.  This race starts right off with climbing, and I wanted to be up front to control the pace as much as possible.  My goals were to be in the top 5 for the entire first lap.  My first time in this race 2 years ago I was dropped before the main climb up Patterson Pass Rd even started.  Whatever I could do for lap 2 was an extra bonus.    I filled 2 small water bottles and had a neutral feed zone prior to the climb if I needed it. 

                The race starts and I am right in the front like I want to be.  Not a huge field, but some familiar faces that I am racing with this year.  We stayed together and no one tried to attack the group.  There were a few accelerations but I was able to match them.  Nothing for more than 30 seconds or so.  We crested the false summit of Patterson Pass and then you could start to feel the headwinds.  Looking up at the top of the climb is an amazing site!  It’s been named OMG hill.  I settled in and stayed as aero as possible.  We began to drop about half the group as we started to climb.  I was in the front right where I wanted to be. I was taking turns with a TopSport guy in front.  There was nowhere to hide from the wind, and I was expecting to start getting dropped.  No one was coming around us and that was fine with me.  I didn’t feel like I was running in the red yet.  I was the first to the top; made sure the jersey was zipped, and took a quick drink.  The descent that was coming was going to be fast!!!  I wanted to be the first or second into these next few turns as we head towards Altamont Pass Rd.  Depending how large your group is, you need to slow down to almost a stop to get through these if you are behind guys.  Even if you are the first one through it.  The TopSport racer Paul Berger and I were still on the front on the descent.  A Raley’s/VW racer Paul Higley also came up front also.  He would later be the race winner.  We climbed up Flynn Rd with a good pace, and I was still feeling good.  I was just happy to be in the lead pack!  As we turned from Carrol Rd to Altamont Pass Rd the pace picked up.  There was not a real organized pace line however. We still had time on the guys we dropped but if we had gotten a little more organized, we probably could have kept away from them.  Jefferey Miller from VSRT/DS Electric attacked the group from behind.  We let him go.  There was no way you could stay away on this section.  We still had 1 ½ laps to complete also.  They were caught before the turn onto Midway Rd.  Then as we turned onto Midway Rd the group we dropped on the climb caught us too.  Now we were all back together again.  The top of Midway is a place where attacks happen, but no one was interested in doing that this first lap.  We all cruised through the finish line for our 2^nd lap.  I was starting to feel the pain from the energy I burned on Altamont Pass Rd.  As we started the false summit climb guys started to slip off the back.  I stayed up front until we reach that summit and then my power began to fade.  There were some accelerations that I just couldn’t match any longer.  I was 10 seconds back, and then it began to grow.  I stayed within a min back as we climbed to the summit of OMG hill.  I thought I could maybe catch them as they descended and slowed for the turns.  That was the last time I saw them however.  I turned around and didn’t see anyone behind me to regroup with either.  I decided to just keep chasing.  I made the climb up Flynn Rd and began to see a small group chasing me down.  I made the turn onto Altamont Pass Rd and had a bigger gap on them. I decided to not wait but to keep chasing and just time trial it to the finish.  I was hoping to keep them behind.  Well they caught me at 4 miles to go.  It was a gamble that I probably will not take next time unless I have some more guys with me.  I could have conserved a lot more energy if I could have been in there group to the finish.  We turned onto Midway Rd and I was expecting someone to attack the group on Midway.  Sure enough a Team Oakland guy did, and we all chased.  I summited and was DONE!!!!  I couldn’t chase anymore. 

                Now it’s time to recover and continue this build cycle I am in.  I finished this race and learned a lot!   I PR’ed the course by over 20 minutes from two years ago.  I also stayed with the lead group longer than I did previous.  Two bottles on a colder day for this course was plenty of fluid. 

                My next race is Tempus Fugit ITT August 25^th (Summer)

             

Thanks to SJBC!

Thanks to my teammates!

Thanks to Clif Bar!

Thanks to Concept Cyclery!

Thanks to Specialized!

Thanks for reading!