2013 Cycling Season and What's To Come

Hello Everyone!  It's been far to long since I have written here about anything besides my race reports.  Partly because I trained and raced a lot more in 2013 than 2012.  I struggled a little bit finding balance to everything since July 2013.  My goal is to write here every month.  My race reports will be here still along with other writings.  I wrote an article with our Medical Director at Oakland Fire about a 911 response we had in 2013.  That's currently being submitted to local EMS newsletters, and I will post that here as well.  I am enjoying writing and hoping to encourage more to do it as well.  I am also super stoked to announce that I am being sponsored by Hammer Nutrition for the 2014 season.  I am happy to be working with them, and growing a strong relationship.  I have a link on the right side of my blog for you to receive 15% off your first order.  I am also happy to announce that I am going to be the Race Team Director for SJBC in 2014.  I am excited for this new role!

This past July I raced at my first NRC (National Racing Calendar USAC) stage race.  The Cascade Classic Stage Race.  One of the longest running races in the USA.  This was my first experience at racing against some of the best that travel around to races.  Their masters division starts at 40+ so that meant I was racing with 18-39 year olds.  The elevation of around 7,000 ft took a toll on me, and so did the heat of 100 degrees during most of the stages.  It was after this race that I realized I would have to train with a much more structured approach.  I had a coach (Jonny Moskowitz-CA Technologies Team) for the first year of racing, and then I moved on.  I was one of the racers that didn't need a coach in order to have accountability.  I researched and remembered each lesson Jonny taught me.  My acountability would be my performance in races with my teammates.  Soon after Cascade Classic I started to use Training Peaks and training with power.  This opened up the door to so much information.  This will be my first full season using Training Peaks.  I am beginning to understand that you can't plan on being in top form for every race during the season.  Its difficult to even peak for multiple races in a month.  In my Diablo Challenge race report from 2013 I talked about the mistakes I made in training.  Looking back at the data, Fremont Peak Hill Climb was when I was in peak form.  After that race I took too much time off, and didn't perform as well in the Diablo Challenge.  I am learning the meanings of "train to train" and "train to race".   Not every single race I enter, I need to win.  The focus on  non A races will be about helping any teammates out and building the race legs.  Even if I had a long week of training.  I will enjoy races even more knowing that this race is for training.  I will always do my best but I won't hold back during the week leading up to the race, in order to feel more "fresh".  I bought a Specialized Transition TT bike in 2013, and plan on training with it 1/3 of the time.  I love the fast TT, and have some regular TT races that I will enter.

I got talked into riding the Tour of California Alps-Death Ride in 2014.  Lot's of teammates and racers from my racing district will be there.  This will be the longest ride and most climbing to date.  Each Jan, April, July, and Oct I do my volume rides around the East Bay.  My PR so far is 109 miles with 10,000 ft.  I will be competing in some races this coming year that I skipped in 2013.  I am looking forward to that.  Reading some of the race reports from 2012 was an eye opener.  I wasn't writing much, but enjoyed looking at the data.  It's interesting how priorities change in what I focus on now at races.  I plan to write more on how my training is going in 2014, and also how the SJBC Team Director position is developing.

Family life at home couldn't be better right now.  Katie and I have found the right balance with the time we spend together, as a family, and alone.  We still have our regular date nights each month!  I am in love with you Kate!  We have planned overnights, and the grand parents help us out achieving those.  Avery is now 3, and is an active minded kid.  She rides bikes, climbs play structures, reading, coloring, puzzles, and loves Doc McStuffins!  She is a well balanced little girl.  Katie has found out that she enjoys running.  I wonder if she will ever want to borrow the TT bike and compete in a triathlon :)

Thanks to San Jose Bike Club in giving me the opportunity to be SJBC's Race Team Director for 2014.    I plan to bring our race team back to when we won the NCNCA Best-All-Around-Team awards in 2010, 2011, and 2012.  This will be the team that everyone wants to be on.

Thanks again to Hammer Nutrition for sponsoring me in 2014.  I am super stoked to be representing them, and spreading the word about their awesome products.  I am already loading up on Race Day Boost as I write this for San Bruno Hill Climb on January 1, 2014!  The 1st USAC race of the season. #sanbrunoworldchampionship as some call it!

Mt Diablo Challenge Race Report

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

Race Data http://tpks.ws/Dod4

                This was my 4^th 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 7^th) 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!

Mt Tam HC Race Report

Mt Tam Hill Climb Stinson Beach (Elite 4’s)

Field Size: 29

Placing: 19

Start Time: 9:55am  (Finishing time 00:51:36)

Teammates: None

Average Speed: 13.9 MPH, Top Speed 38.6 MPH

Average HR: 179 Max HR: 189

Power: 257 avg  654 max

Elevation Ascent:  2,470 Ft.

Weather:  67.6 deg avg, sunny, strong headwind first 4 miles, warmer on the top of the mountain

Race Data http://tpks.ws/eu9b

                This was my second time riding this course.  Everyone talks about being ready for the first 4 miles riding down to the turn onto the climbing portion.  Some groups go out attacking and I wanted to be ready for that.  Miles 4.5-8.5 were the toughest with 7% avg grade and the rest was 2.3% avg grade.  Big sweeping left hand downturn and a hilltop finish.  There was a strong headwind today on the 4 mile stretch.  Things would play out a lot slower because of this.  I wanted to get sub 49 minutes today, and trying to peak today for this race.  I feel fresh coming off a 3^rd place at Fremont Peak 6 days ago.  It took me around 2 hours to arrive at Stinson Beach, CA.  Great destination and awesome starting on the beach!  I wanted to get a 45 min warm-up at least, but settled with 30 min. 

               

                Large group of 29 racers.  There is no 35+ in this race so I registered in the Elite 4’s.  I got to the line early and made sure I was up front.  I stayed 7^th wheel for the 1^st 2 miles and then the front wanted to start a pace line.  This is probably what slowed us down, however the guys up front were taking a beating with the wind.  We had to pass up a bunch of century riders, and this completely screwed up our pace line.  It was obvious some of the racers had no idea how to be in a pace line.  I found myself too far back because of this at around mile 3 so I began to move up on the outside.  I took on some wind, but moved up to 4^th place on the turn to the climb.  Attack!!!  The entire front of the group just began attacking each other all across the open road.  I held with them for a ½ mile and then backed off.  I’ll catch some of them after I settle in and they blow up.  There were a few of us left now and I was using the shortest line on the road between turns.  Around mile 6 it levels off a bit and I switched into the big ring.  I was now starting to gain some ground on guys that went out to hard.  Before you get to the seven sisters segment you go through a really dark part of road that you can fly on.  I took my sunglasses off for it this year.  After fogging them up just prior to this stretch, you really cant see anything.  The seven sisters segment felt great this year.  I was passing up riders from other categories and building momentum on the rollers.  I was ready for the big sweeping left turn to the finish and gave it my all! 

                 No PR for the course time because we went 2:30 minutes slower on the first 4 miles, but I PR’ed on the climbing portion!  Now it’s time to for a 2 week build before the final race of the season.  The Mt Diablo Challenge on Oct 6^th.  Please consider donatingto Save Mt Diablo in my name.  My goal is a sub 54 minute time. 

My next race is our SJBC club stage race Sept 28-29 in San Jose.

             

Thanks to SJBC!

Thanks to my teammates!

Thanks to Clif Bar!

Thanks to Concept Cyclery!

Thanks to Specialized!

Thanks for reading!