Wente Road Race

Zachary Hilton

Placing: 32

Livermore, CA 

Teammates:  Tom Stanis, Jeff Rogers, George Bonanto, Giles Douglas, Manny Mananbanag, Peter Cathcart

Weather:  63 degrees avg. Scattered Clouds Entire Race, windy as usual! 

Start Time:  11:55am

Total Time: 2:29:00

Power: 176 W avg, 785 W max, 210 W NP

Average Speed: 19.1 MPH, Top Speed 42.7 MPH 

Average HR: 168 Max HR: 190

Elevation Ascent: 4124 ft

Training Peaks Data

Wente RR is always a tough race, especially in the past 2 years when it was 90 degrees on the course.  This year the weather was cold, and yes still windy.  The masters cat 4 team got together for this race.  We were in the 35+4's.  This was the greatest number of teammates I've had in a race so far.  We pre-planned and everyone had a role.  Paul was staffing the feed zone for the day and supplying the team with water and plenty of ice cold Hammer Nutrition!  My personal goal was to help the team as much as I could while still building up my fitness for the upcoming climbing races this spring and summer.

Learning from earlier starts this year, I wanted to minimize the time from finishing my warm-up and starting the race.  Wente's start line is only about 2 minutes from where I parked and warmed up on the trainer.  I got a good 45 minutes warming up. The other well represented team was Team Revolutions. We all lined up front at the start and lead the group up Altamont Pass Rd and Carroll Rd. Paul M. was placed in a good spot for the feed zone.  It was always super slow mo going by him. We would be climbing Carroll Rd 4 times.  The first time up Carroll Rd I could feel the pressure of the group, and we separated the group a bit by the top of Flynn Rd.  This group would still have around 25 in it, and we started with 44.  The group was too big to really get away and once we ended up on Cross Rd you could feel the pace really slow down to a crawl.  Two minutes later as we turned onto Telsa Rd. the group behind us had caught back on.  Team Revolutions was tried initiating an attack on Greenville Rd and Giles did an amazing job bringing it back.  Greenville Rd coming down to the start line was really fast (42 mph) Tim Vickroy from Wells Fargo was off the front and pushing it hard on the group.  We turned onto Altamont Pass Rd again and Jeff with Tom right behind me.    The pace was fast going up Altamont Rd with Tim from Wells Fargo still on the front.  The 2nd time up Carroll Rd was tougher on my legs.  I was up near the front at the start and dropped back about 5 seconds off the group as we passed the finish line.  I was in a bad place at this point.  I was alone and falling off the pace.  I drafted off the sag car for 1 minute trying to get back attached to the group before the downhill on Flynn Rd but whoever was riving it didn't let me stay attached for too long. :)  Then Max Hudson from Pinnacle, a Pen Velo racer, and 2 Cushman racers came along side me.  I followed suit and tried to stay protected from the wind gusts that were starting to really pick up now.  Max and Pen Velo guy were really getting frustrated with our group.  The pace made one of the Cushman guys drop off and I wasn't going to put in any work.  We could see the led group ahead of us, but they were at least 3 minutes ahead with still 25 in the group.  No way was a group of 4 going to catch them.  Plus I was not interested in chasing down 2 of my teammates in the lead group.  Pinnacle and the Pen Velo guy took off and myself and Tim Stuart from Cushman stayed together.  As we were on Greenville Rd. Cushman made a huge effort to drop me and he did.  Damn...1 lap to go and I was going to do it alone :(  Then all of the sudden Giles, and George along with a rider from Team Revolutions, Audi, Cushman came flying by!  I was so happy to see my teammates.  I jumped on the train,a nd we also caught the Cushman racer that dropped me.  None of us had to worry about doing any work.  Plus the Audi racer was happy to be on the front pretty much the entire last lap.  We all did the last lap together.  The final time up Carroll Rd we all split up.  I wasn't trying to put in a huge effort, I saw my teammates at the feed zone and just wanted for this race to be finished!  I had a TT the following day. Tempus Fugit ITT by Red Kite Racing Events.

Super stoked with our team.  Tom Stanis #SJBCRaceTeam took 6th place overall!

My next race is Berkeley Hills Road Race May 10. 

Thanks for reading!  

Thanks to Hammer Nutrition!
Thanks to Summit Bicycles!

Thanks to Voler!

Thanks to SJBC Race Team!

Sea Otter Classic Circuit Race

Zachary Hilton

Placing: 29

Monterey, CA 

Teammates:  Mike Scaglione, Mark Beckstead, Steven Aurousseau

Weather:  50 degrees avg. Foggy Entire Race, little wind 

Start Time:  9:22am

Total Time: 00:38:29

Power: 226 W avg, 834 W max, 679 W NP

Average Speed: 20.7 MPH, Top Speed 43.8 MPH (Down The Corksrew!!)

Average HR: 170 Max HR: 183

Elevation Ascent: 1260 ft

Training Peaks Data

Well after competing in the Road Race yesterday I was trying some new ways to recover and be ready for today's Circuit Race on the Laguna Seca Race Track.  I have been using some Hammer Nutrition products (Race Day Boost, Premium Insurance Caps, Race Caps Supreme), compression tights, scoop of Hammer Whey in water 30 minutes before bed boosts the natural HGH while you sleep, and naps.  My goals for the race were to stay with the lead group as long as possible, and then chase them down if I get dropped.  Last year I got time cut after 4 laps.  This was going to be a 50 minute race and I wanted to leave it all on the course.

Learning from yesterdays shivering start, I decided to wear my thermal jacket from the car to the start line.  Plus I was wearing my Voler Speed Suit, and I needed to stay warm till the start.  I got in a good 1 hour on the trainer.  I put some power intervals in the warm-up, and felt ready at the start line.  I stuffed my jacket and warmers into my bag and left them near the finish.  Race started off and we were combined with the 45+4's.  This race course is worth the price of admission!  To be able to race around the track that motorcycles and cars go over 100 mph was awesome!  Each time up the first hill before the corkscrew I tried getting near the front and slowly fall back.  We were all spread out on the track in a large peloton.   The group would come flying down the corkscrew and into the flats.  We always seemed to slow up a bit as we came under the bridge and getting ready for a sharp left hand turn on our way back to the finish.  That was a position where I was able to latch back onto the group during laps 3 and 4.  After the 4th time up the hill I was beginning to loose some power, probably due to chasing the peloton down.  The peloton was still in site and I kept chasing.  I was determined to not get cut from the race and do more than 4 laps!  I came around for lap 5 and still was able to see the peloton and didn't get cut.  By now there were many riders getting dropped and I was passing them up, and keeping my own tempo.  I came around for lap 6 and wasn't told to drop out!!  I was stoked and that kept me encouraged to keep chasing.  That was my last lap, and I was able to pick off a few more riders who gave up.  

I am coming into this race with a heavy training load, and that was by design.  I felt recovered and my data seems to show I was.  I was able to hold some high watts and get my HR up. Looking at the data compared to last year made me really stoked:

I finished 2 more laps than last year before I got the time cut!  That's why you never give up!  That was a huge achievement for me.

Like in my last race report I need to focus on short power intervals.  3-5 minute hard efforts at above threshold. 

My next race is Wente Road Race April 26. 

Thanks for reading!  

Thanks to Hammer Nutrition!

Thanks to Voler!

Thanks to SJBC Race Team!

Thanks to Sea Otter Classic for another awesome race and lots of swag!  2 days worth!!!

Sea Otter Classic Road Race

Zachary Hilton

Placing: 25

Monterey, CA 

Teammates:  George Bonanto

Weather:  47 degrees avg. Foggy Entire Race, little wind at end

Start Time:  8:00am

Total Time: 02:33:00

Power: 173 W avg, 834 W max, 216 W NP

Average Speed: 17.9 MPH, Top Speed 37.1 MPH

Average HR: 166 Max HR: 174

Elevation Ascent: 4690 ft

Training Peaks Data

My goals for this race are to get some good race miles in the legs.  This course is perfect for this with all the rollers, and power climbs.  The largest climb is just .5 miles and less than 3 min to climb.  I wanted to improve my time on the course and improve my efficiency of energy.  I also used this race to experiment on calorie intake.  I think I have been taking in too many calories which slows my system down.  Less is best for me.  My goal is 150 calories/hour, and then add some protein after 2 hours. 0-1 hour Hammer Heed bottle, 1-2 hour Hammer gels and water, and 2-3 hour I had half a Hammer Bar with Hammer Heed bottle.  No matter what I had to never give up on this course.  I knew that the competition was going to be fierce here.  Not a huge field, but I always had to assume that the group was right up the road.  Wente RR is in two weeks and this race is a spring board for me.

I arrived early this year to get a warm up on the trainer.  The registration opens at 7am and race starts at 8am.  It takes about 7 min to ride to start line using the perimeter road.  The problem with registering the morning of is that there is usually a line, you have to pin 2 numbers on, and it cuts it close to get a warm up in before the race starts.  I got 30 minutes on the trainer, got the bike ready, and headed over to register.  I opted at the last moment to put on some arm warmers.  The fog wasn't lifting, and I was starting to get cold.  It's a slow cold ride down to the start.  I made it down to the raceway for a 10 minute warm up, but I was having trouble keeping warm at 47 degrees, and just some arm warmers.  Once the race starts I don't need anything more, but I wish I had worn my jacket until we started.  There is plenty of room alongside the barriers to drop off gear in a bag at the start.  I will do this for next year, and I did it the following day for the circuit race.  It's easy to come pick it up later, and no one messes with it.  So now I was waiting at the start and shivering.  Sea Otter announcers start the count down,and play some loud music.  The atmosphere is awesome!  We were off for the neutral start.  I was still shivering, and we were heading down hill to the course.  I tried everything to warm up, but when we hit the first climb I began to slip back.  I knew that I wasn't going to keep up with this group, I needed a better warm up, and if I kept this pace up this early I would blow up.  I chased the group for the first lap and was around 10-15 seconds off the back the entire time, but the 2nd time up Hennekens Ranch Rd the group was gone.  No problem for me, I'm used to that this time of year.  At lap 3 I was caught by a former teammate in the 45+4 group.  Peter and I worked with each other for the rest of the race.  We continued to push each other, and never sat up to every talk much!  I got a neutral feed provided by Sea Otter in laps 2 and 4.  My food plan and energy levels were perfect.

The final hill back up to the finish is Barloy Canyon Rd.  Last year I was cramping up this hill.  No cramps when I needed to get off the saddle and push it this year.  Crossed the finish line feeling accomplished on what I wanted to get out of this race.  

I am coming into this race with a heavy training load, and that was by design.  Looking at the data compared to last year made me really stoked:

• PR'ed the race by over 10 minutes
• PR'ed 00:01:20 on the final climb to the finish
• I used a lot less energy throughout the race and got a better time= more efficient 

I need to focus on short power intervals.  3-5 minute hard efforts at above threshold.  Thats in the training plan right now.

Next year I am going to take the girls down on Thursday to the expo and register early.  I feel that if I get a warm up closer to the start of the race, keep warm, and I'll be ready for the race.  Plus just the task of pinning on your number can be down at home.  I wish we all had the same number assigned to us for the season!

My next race is Sea Otter Circuit Race tomorrow.  

Thanks for reading!  

Thanks to Hammer Nutrition!

Thanks to Voler!

Thanks to SJBC Race Team!

Thanks to Sea Otter Classic for another awesome race and lots of swag!  2 days worth!!!

Beat The Clock TT Canada Rd

Zachary Hilton

Placing: 10

Woodside, CA 

Teammates:  Alexander Komlik

Weather:  49 degrees avg. Raining

Start Time:  7:34am

Total Time: 00:27:10

Power: No Power Data on TT

Average Speed: 22.13 MPH, Top Speed 36.76 MPH

Average HR: 166 Max HR: 174

Elevation Ascent: 469 ft

Training Peaks Data  

Strava Segment

I have not taken a day off since training camp, but still wanted to get out and do the time trial.  It's been on my bucket list for a while.  My goals were to get a good warm-up, and put in a good time on the course.  I can always come back here later in the year and improve the time.  The course is a 5 mile out and 5 mile back.  For some reason my Garmin didn't record the rollers and my elevation gain was way off.  I included the link above to the Strava segment so that you can see the rollers.  I rode my Specialized Transition TT bike.  Zipp 404's and an aero disk cover on the back wheel.  I was planning on riding these first and then coming back to change out the front wheel for a 1080.  I wanted to see if I could gain anymore time advantage when I was fatigued, by using this deeper rim. 

I woke up not feeling 100%.  That was fine with me.  This has been a huge training block, and a great way to finish it off.  The rain that was coming down was not encouraging, but this course was just fine to ride in the rain.  Smooth pavement and no big turns besides the turnaround at 5 miles out.  I got a little lost trying to find this course so I only got a 20 minute warm-up.  I needed at least 45 minutes to post a good time.  I was also worried because during the warm up I couldn't get my HR up to threshold.  A sign of fatigue :(  The volunteers were super nice and pinned on my number for me.  It's impossible to do it yourself when your wearing a speed suit. 

Started off feeling great.  Got in the drops right away and tried to get the HR elevated.  It's an initial flat course then descent.  This would also be my first time riding this course.  There were no sharp turns, so it was a little easier being able to see what was coming ahead.  About 3 miles into it it began to rain.  My position felt great, but couldn't get my HR up to threshold.  There were 2 short rollers that I was able to stay in the big ring for.  As I reached the turnaround I needed to slow way down for the U-turn.  Lot's a course marshals there to warn you.  On the 5 miles stretch back it began to rain more, and was windy.  I was drenched!  Not fun for a TT but I was determined to still put in a good effort.  There is one roller to go over, and then the last 3 miles is a series of rollers that keep the elevation climbing until to reach the finish line.  My position still felt great.  I had made some changes to the TT bike last month and lowered my profile just a bit.  I felt more comfortable and arms didn't feel fatigued. 

Overall I was glad I showed up!  I opted not to try my experiment with the 1080 today.  I was soaked, tired, and not mentally motivated.  When I get in that zone....I am just done!  I was already in a hole from training camp, and didn't want to go any deeper. :)

Thanks for reading, and I suggest anyone that enjoys TT's to get out to this course and race it.  May 24th and June 14th are the next ones.  Beat The Clock and help beat cancer.  Great organization that gives back to cancer research and awareness.

My next race is Sea Otter road race and circuit race April 11-12.

Thanks to Hammer Nutrition

Thanks to SJBC Racing

Thanks to Voler for the awesome aero speed suit!