Mt Diablo
Challenge Danville, CA (Wave 1)
Field
Size: 507
Placing:
66
Start
Time: 8:35am (Finishing time 00:57:32)
Teammates:
Alexander Komlik
Average
Speed: 11.3 MPH, Top Speed 27.5 MPH
Miles:
10.9
Average
HR: 181 Max HR: 190
Power:
235 avg 626 max
Elevation
Ascent: 3,182 Ft.
Weather:
61.7 deg avg, sunny, clear day throughout, a little wind around Curry and
Juniper warmer on the top of the mountain
This was my 4th time
participating in the Mt Diablo Challenge.
This was my first race that I have ever done and it’s always been the
last race of the season for me. I really
wanted to get under an hour again, but also improve on my overall time to 54
min. The beauty of this sport and race
is that it’s all about the moment you show up to the start line. It’s all a strategic attack to get
there. Sometimes the plan works and
sometimes you need to change things up.
That’s how writing these reports come into play for next season, and
also tracking your race data. I got a
parking pass for the parking lot at Athenian School for organizing a donation
campaign to raise funds for Save Mt Diablo.
Thank you to all that donated in my name. We raised $630 for them. Morning started off with some Peet’s coffee,
multi-grain oats, bagel, and powerbar.
Monster Pump is also awesome an hour before a race. I’ve been using it
since Cascade Classic. The promoters sag
up a bag for you to the top. I took off
the bottle cages for this race. Got to
be as light as possible. I always pack
shoes, shirt, shorts, Recoverite Hammer Bottle, and some arm warmers just in
case. Plus there is a ton of free stuff
to take home from the venue at the top.
I got a good pre-race warm up on the trainer, and was not feeling 100%
strong. OK enough about that for
now. The race!
I got down to the start line
with 10 minutes to spare. Lined up next
to Cushman & Wakefield racer Stu. We
met here last year also. Always a good
conversation to relax to nerves while we waited. Wave 1 was off and rolling. The pace was steady and we were all scattered
on the road trying to be the first ones through the twisted turns before the
south gate entrance. Once we hit south gate groups started to form on their own. The trick about this race is finding the
right wheel to follow at the right time.
Ideally you would want to set a time goal and have someone pace you the
whole way. You don’t want to be by
yourself ever. I stayed with a group of
10-15 all the way till just prior to the pay station. We then began to split up. There were also guys that began to pass us
up. This made me think that maybe I went
out to fast. Turns out after the data
review, that I didn’t go out to fast. I
was right on the same pace as 2012. I wanted to find a good group to pull me
through Rock City. There ended up being
6 of us. Not a big group, but I felt
they were backing off a little too much for me.
I pulled away from them as we approached Curry Point. I was hoping to find another group
ahead. I caught up with 5 Wells Fargo riders
and latched onto the back of them before the junction. I was still feeling great and no issues. As we turned right after the junction I once
again tried to move up to another group.
There were pockets of 2-3 guys throughout the road so I followed some
and used the entire road from turn to turn.
This actually allows you to pass guys up who stay on the right side
always. I was alone for a bit through
Juniper where the wind was picking up slightly.
Made it around Devil’s Elbow and realized that I wasn’t going to beat my
goal time of 54 min but was on track for under an hour. I tried to get as aero as possible and push
hard for this last section. I did take
off 4 seconds on the Wall at the end.
No PR for the course time but still achieved
in coming under an hour. I finished the
same time as last year. That’s a huge accomplishment in itself. For 2 years in a row now I have kept this. I felt well rested, but more ready for the
season to be over. I have raced more and
put in more hours on the bike since last year by a lot. I think my mind and body were done already
from a long race season. I thought I was doing the right thing by
tapering off the riding volume and recovering between Fremont Peak Hill Climb
(Sept 7th) and Diablo Challenge (Oct 6). I felt the best this year at Fremont Peak HC. That was by design. I was peaking at that time. Next year I am planning on peaking for
Fremont Peak and training through the rest of the races until the Diablo Challenge. I learned you can’t have multiple A races
with high expectations within 30 days of each other. Sounds simple now…. J October and November will be about riding
when I want to and taking some well-deserved off season. Until the San Bruno World Championships Jan
1, 2014! Time to build the core back up
and recover.
Thanks
to my wife!
Thanks
to SJBC!
Thanks
to my teammates!
Thanks to Hammer Nutrition!
Thanks
to Concept Cyclery!
Thanks
to Specialized!
Thanks
for reading!
