Cats Hill Classic Race

Zachary Hilton
Cat's Hill Classic Race
Los Gatos, CA
Category 35+ 4/5's 

Seaside, CA 
Place: DNP
Field: 35
Teammates: Michael Riyanto, Yokon Maruyama

Weather:  76 sunny
Start Time: 03:15:00 pm

Total Time: 00:18:18
Power: 284 W avg, 812 W max, 253 W NP  

Average Speed: 21.8 MPH, Top Speed 33.5 MPH

Average HR: 176 Max HR: 184
Elevation Ascent: 522

Training Peaks Data

I'm riding a 2015 Specialized S-Works Tarmac with Ultegra 6800 53/39 11 speed group set with an 11/28 for this race. There is a short hill climb that lasts average 15 seconds, lots of poor pavement, and some fast downhills. I have a pair for Race Rim carbon tubular 46's for this race.  I follow Hammer Nutrition's Steve Born on many pre-race strategies.  This race started late compared to most.  A 3:15 pm start meant that I needed to change things up a bit with the food intake for today. I ate my oatmeal mix for breakfast.  The missed a bagel and peanut butter 3 hours prior to the race as usual.  It was a family day and we went to a Chili Cook Off in Gilroy.  I am carrying 1/2 bottle of Hammer Heed.  

My goals for this race are to get some intensity for the legs.  This is pretty much a threshold race. Some times the pace slows for 10-20 seconds at a time, but someone is usually always off the front and being chased down.  I'd like to last longer than I did last year.  I made the 8 laps to go in 2015 but got pulled with 4 to go.  I'd like to have some data that shows I'm stronger and fast than last year!  I am racing my weaknesses here today.   I wanted to get a longer warm up but we were having too much fun with friends earlier in the day and arrived late.  Still got around 20 minutes.  Which turns out was just fine.

We were a much larger group than pre-reg showed.  The race starts out with a prime for the first lap...so its on!  I got despite lining up in the middle of the road in the second row I was 15th or so going into the first turn.  Not where I wanted to start.  It's big ring all the way around and then you drop it into a small ring before the climb on Nicholson.  The roads are in poor condition too.  Your brain is on high speed mode.  You have to navigate the roads, racers, changing gears, drink, and positioning.  I found myself being able to drop back and then climb my way back up to the top 10 on the climb.  But we are spread all over the road on the climb, and sometime bumping elbows when coming around.  The false flat at the top is where you go back into the big ring and then a small downhill turns right onto the top of the course.  This is a recover point on each lap that lasts a few seconds, a good place to drink for me too.  We dropped half the group on the second lap.  I was comfortable sitting near the back of this front group.  Lap 7 I was started to feel the cardiovascular effect on the body.  My legs felt great but I could tell I was loosing steam.  We were over halfway done and I went into the climb a bit wide to come around a racer.  I think I must have switched into my small ring late and hit a bump...when I went to start climbing I could tell my chain was not engaged...then I gave it one good spin and the chain popped off into the frame.  I was so out of breath all I could do was safely come to a stop and walk the bike to the top where SJBC's tent was.  I had help holding the bike up and that's when I noticed a chain link was bent!!!  Ahh man!!  Second mechanical in back to back races.  This better be out of my system now.

Scott Bales YouTube video of our race.

What I learned from this race is that I was more powerful than last year and got PR's all over the course.  I was 10-15 seconds faster in some areas.  I think I could have finished with the front group and not get pulled too.  I'll be back next year. I hear that its supposed to be freshly paved then too.  Huge thanks to Mike's Bikes in Los Gatos for letting me walk in exhausted and get my new chain installed quickly.  Some bike shops would say "we need to make you an appointment, or we are really busy"...not Mike's Bikes. They recognize that you are a racer and need to get back to racing and training!  Wonderful shop!

Time to recover with Hammer Nutrition's Recoverite and get a good night sleep.  Don't forget to recover during your sleep and take some Hammer Whey to boost that HGH.  I've also added Hammer Nutrition's Chromate, and Super Antioxidant to the recovery mix.  Both have great recovery ingredients!  Time to go to my sisters house now for a family dinner and beer!

Next race will be Mt Hamilton RR on May 29th!

Thanks for reading!

Thanks to Hammer Nutrition!

Thanks to Nature's Bakery!

Thanks to RaceRim!

Thanks to iRC Tire USA!

Thanks to SJBC Race Team!

Sea Otter Classic Road Race

Zachary Hilton
Sea Otter Classic Road Race
Category 35+ 4's (Combined and Scored Separate with the 45+4's)

Seaside, CA 
Place: 12
Field: 14
Teammates: None

Weather:  60 windy, sunny, but not to warm
Start Time: 03:30:00 pm

Total Time: 02:34:00
Power: 220 W avg, 816 W max, 218 W NP  

Average Speed: 17.9 MPH, Top Speed 43.1 MPH

Average HR: 164 Max HR: 187
Elevation Ascent: 4,583

Training Peaks Data

I'm riding a 2015 Specialized S-Works Tarmac with Ultegra 6800 53/39 11 speed group set with an 11/32 for this race.  Lot's of climbing in each lap.  I have a pair for Race Rim carbon tubular 32's for this race.  They are light and stiff enough for some 40 mph plus racing and some poor roads. I follow Hammer Nutrition's Steve Born on many pre-race strategies.  This race started late compared to most.  A 3:30 pm start meant that I needed to change things up a bit with the food intake for today. I ate my oatmeal mix for breakfast. A plain bagel with peanut butter three hours prior to the race start. After Ward's Ferry RR I am now trying something new for on the bike nutrition while racing.  I am carrying 4 Hammer Gels and two bottles of Hammer Heed.  One Hammer Gel for every 30 minutes that passes.  Sea Otter Classic is awesome at providing a neutral feed zone for all the races.  They also have some cool new bottles with their logos that we get to keep.  Souvenirs on the bike! 

My goals for this race are to stay upfront and don't get dropped on the climbs.  This is the beginning of big climbing races in May and June.  Time to put this training to good use.  The course was changed this year because of construction in the area.  It's still a 46 mile course, but they made the laps shorter which means that we climbed Hennekens Ranch Rd 6 times.  There is also a short climb on Eucalyptus Rd also that we will do 6 times.  Hennekens Ranch Rd will be the deciding factor of where you will place, and that's where the Feed Zone was located this year also.  Don't forget about Barloy Canyon Rd that you need to climb up to the finish line.  We didn't get to start the race on the race track this year..bummer!  We started on Barloy Canyon Rd just next the race track and it was a neutral start till we got onto the course.

We were combined with the 45+4's and picked separately at the start line. Which made us a group of 36.  The race started neutral but the moto ref had us flying.  I got a PR on the Barloy Canyon Rd descent because it was an all out positioning point.  Moto was letting us fly and all 36 of us wanted to be at the front for the first climb :)  Of course the first time up Hennekens Ranch Rd was fierce.  We dropped several off the back.  There is a long stretch of road after the climb that had everyone stretched out single file as we approached some rollers and a fast descent.  Positioning is still a factor this part in the race also.  The pace slows down a bit as we make a left on Gigling Rd. The road has pot holes and a slight rise.   We had wind at us for most of the race except for when we made a left on Parker Flats Cut Off Rd.  Huge tailwind on the sharp left hand turn section.  Each time around we would be single file and someone would be attacking off the front.  None of the attacks created a break but they hurt, and we dropped riders who came into the turn to late.  I always made my way to the front 2-3 spots as we came around that turn and found a wheel.  The same went for Eucalyptus Rd.  We would make a hard left turn, then it was a sharp climb up, followed by a long fast descent back down to the start of Hennekens Ranch Rd.  Lap two was pretty much the same.  Lap three I was starting to hurt climbing Hennekens Ranch Rd.  I took a feed this lap also.  I was following my nutrition plan well, and no cramps coming on.  My times were just getting slower going up that climb.  4th lap I took another feed and by the 5th lap I was popped off the back on Hennekens Ranch Rd.  The rest of this race I promised myself I would chase, and not sit up.  I didn't want anyone to catch me from behind either.  I caught one other rider during the last lap and on the way up Barloy Canyon Rd to the finish a few more joined.

What I learned from this race is that less food is better for me while racing.  My pre-race meals gave me energy while not slowing my gut down.  I need race days like this to compete.  It's hard to replicate this in training.  For hard races like this I'll be using a Hammer Gel every 30 minutes, and a bottle per hour of HEED.

Time to recover with Hammer Nutrition's Recoverite and get a good night sleep.  Don't forget to recover during your sleep and take some Hammer Whey to boost that HGH.  I've also added Hammer Nutrition's Chromate, and Super Antioxidant to the recovery mix.  Both have great recovery ingredients!  Time to go and walk the Sea Otter Festival!  Great food, drinks, and swag!

Next race will be Berkeley Hills RR on May 7th!

Thanks for reading!

Thanks to Hammer Nutrition!

Thanks to Nature's Bakery!

Thanks to RaceRim!

Thanks to iRC Tire USA!

Thanks to SJBC Race Team!

Avery and I got to meet Ted King from Untapped Maple Syrup

Avery competed in the Specialized Kids Zone on a dirt track.

Wards Ferry Road Race

Zachary Hilton
Wards Ferry Road Race
Category 35+ 4's

Sonora, CA 
Place: 7
Field: 11
Teammates: Morris Delgado

Weather:  46 cloudy, cold, some sun, but not warm
Start Time: 08:25:00

Total Time: 02:39:00
Power: 224 W avg, 738 W max, 228 W NP  

Average Speed: 16.9 MPH, Top Speed 40.2 MPH

Average HR: 156 Max HR: 183
Elevation Ascent: 4,843

Training Peaks Data

I'm riding a 2015 Specialized S-Works Tarmac with Ultegra 6800 53/39 11 speed group set with an 11/32 for this race.  Lot's of climbing in a short amount of time.  I have a pair for Race Rim carbon tubular 32's for this race.  They are light and stiff enough for some 40 mph plus racing and poor roads. I follow Hammer Nutrition's Steve Born on many pre-race strategies.  This race started early and its a 2.5 hour drive. I started the morning off with coffee and bagel for the drive, and then a hammer gel during the warm-up.  I packed two more Hammer gels, a Hammer Bar Raisin, and one Race Cap Supreme to eat at the two hour mark with my bar.  The Hammer Gels were used at the start, 00:47:00 and at 01:30:00.  I carried two bottles of Hammer Heed.  My stomach 48 hours prior was on the fritz.  I lost my hunger drive for almost 24 hours, and was a bit nauseated after eating some fresh veggies.  I was also feeling the fatigue of the big volume of racing and training that I have been doing since last September when I started racing again.  I'm in the need of a "season transition" break after this race. The healthy balance of family, work, training, recovery, and racing starts to take a toll on me with no break.  Sometimes you need to just hop on the bike for the love of it and the beautiful bike region I live in.

My goals for this race are to stay upfront and dictate the lines we take on the descents.  The roads are bumpy in sections and after the hairpin right turn its a narrow road with twisting descents.  If you are in the back you will need to chase back on, and it's hard to keep an eye on the road and the riders.  You can pass slower and timid racers on the descent.  There is a Velo Promo feed zone and they supply water bottles each lap.  I've never done this race before or ridden the roads. At least we do 4 laps on the same course!

I got a 20 minutes warm up on the rollers and felt good.  It was drizzling now and the clouds were moving fast.  You could see some sun, but starting at 46 degrees was cold!  Only 11 guys in the field.  Alex Poloziouk of Wells Fargo Racing is on an upgrade path right now, and won Snelling Road Race this year.  Race was delayed by a tree down in the middle of the course.  Center line enforced on course and the roads are closed on Algerine-Wards Ferry Rd.  We started off neutral until we get to Old Wards Ferry Rd (where the feedzone is) and no moto will be riding with us.  The race starts and we are all in a single line.  Roads are bumpy on Wards Ferry Rd.  I found that the climbing section on this part of the course was tougher because it doesn't look that steep and someone was always pushing it hard on the climbing sections.  The first downhill we reached a few went with no brakes and I found myself chasing back on.  It was tough to find a good line when you are following the guy in front of you.  From then on I stayed in the front 4.  I was OK with taking turns up front in order to have a smoother ride and not chase off the back.  We hit the first climb with a steady average 7% grade for .8 miles.  I am sitting right behind Don from Revs Road and he's putting the pressure on for the entire climb.  No attacks from the group.  Then there is another fast descent followed by a short climb before we make a right hairpin turn onto Algerine-Wards Ferry Rd.  This was the best part of this race!  It's 2.5 miles of descending with twisting roads.  Mostly good pavement, but there was debris on the course.  The road is narrow but can allow for passing if needed.  The first time through I led us.  I kept the pace high but safe.  I didn't really take any chances.  I'm sure the last racer in our group felt like they were chasing though.  There is only one sharp left turn that you can see coming up, and it's full of soot from the rains.  We reach another shorter climb for .5 miles average 6% grade followed by a right turn on Lime Kiln Rd.  We are all back together and some are feeling the effects of the ups and downs of this course.  I'm still sitting up front and taking my turn up front.   My heart rate isn't getting as high as I'd like but my stomach is feeling good.  I'm about 10 beats per minute off where I'd like to be.  My legs are feeling good however, but I can feel the cardio isn't where it needs to be for 4 laps of this. We make a slight right onto Murphy Rd and this is the final road to the uphill finish.  It's well marked for us.  This part has some really short but punchy climbs.  We all get through together and make a right turn onto Old Wards Ferry Rd where the Velo Promo feedzone is located.  I still had 1.5 bottles left.  I didn't take a feed.  (I should be drinking more though,a nd I'llpay for that later!)  We make a right and then back on the course for 3 more laps.   Don and myself decided to make the group react and chase by creating a gap as we went through the descents on Wards Ferry.  Then we hit the climbs hard.  I was first in the Algerine-Wards Ferry Rd descent again and Don came sweeping around me.  He pushed it for us down the 2nd time.  After we climbed out Alex P from Wells Fargo came around and picked the pace up on Lime Kiln and on Murphy Rd.  I followed his wheel and conserved what I could.  He's a big draft.  As we climbed up through the finish we were down to 7 guys.  I ate a Hammer Bar, and should have grabbed a bottle as we passed through the feedzone to start lap 3.  It wasn't even on my mind though!!!  This was the hardest lap for me.  Alex P hit the first descent hard followed by a huge acceleration up the climb that was making me hurt.  I kept my head down and as aero as possible.  I was only looking at Don's wheel and we were all over the road.  Alex was attacking us.  I took a quick look behind because it was quiet and there was only 4 of us!  What What!!  That really just happened.  I'm not even sure how long that took, but I was stoked to be in this selection with these guys.  I personally was hurting and needed that descent to come quickly to recover.  On the flat and climb prior to the hairpin turn Alex pushed it again and the 4th guy was fading back.  Now it was 3 of us.  I tried to get in front of Alex to slow him down but couldn't get enough power to do that.  Slowly I was fading back also.  The top of that climb could not come quick enough.  If they make it to the descent on Algerine-Wards Ferry Rd before me I'll never catch them alone.  The 4th guy behind me gets a second wind and comes around me as I'm literally crawling on the bike!  There's nothing I can do. I reached the hairpin turn alone and went as hard as I could.  I saw them as they climbed out of the descent but they were 3 and I was 1 cooked racer.  I needed more fluid and I needed to eat more...but as you know once you blow up it's hard to come back from it.  I stayed as aero as possible through the final lap but never saw them again.  My teammate Morris Delgado caught me on lap 4 and he was looking strong.   A few more caught me as I arrived to the finish.

I learned a lot in this race.  I should have been drinking and eating more on lap 2 especially.  For hard races like this I'll be using a Hammer Gel every 30 minutes, and a bottle per hour of HEED.  It was deceiving, and this always happens when I haven't raced a course prior.  (Thats one reason why these race reports are so important.)  Its 46 degrees out and you don't want to drink to much that you have to go pee, but we are racing at elevation with lots of hard efforts and climbing.  This course suites me well, and I'll be back next year.  Smarter and more prepared. hopefully with some more teammates.

Time to recover with Hammer Nutrition's Recoverite and get a good night sleep.  Don't forget to recover during your sleep and take some Hammer Whey to boost that HGH.  I've also added Hammer Nutrition's Chromate, and Super Antioxidant to the recovery mix.  Both have great recovery ingredients!  Time for a Pliny the Elder waiting for me at home.

Next race will be CCCX on April 10th and Sea Otter Classic on April 15th!

Thanks for reading!

Thanks to Hammer Nutrition!

Thanks to Nature's Bakery!

Thanks to RaceRim!

Thanks to iRC Tire USA!

Thanks to SJBC Race Team!