LVRC Fylde 55 miles Road Race

A flat but demanding circuit with its head and cross wind conditions on 2/3rds of its length meant that the intensity factor was high from the very start.

 The race was into C's and D's  which again explains that the pace was on with very little respite.
I had decided from the start that there would be no heroics from me as I just intended to actually post a finish in a LVRC race for 2013.
 A  small group got away from lap 3. Lap 4 became interesting as a tractor on the circuit played a part in splitting the field. This was where a probablt tactical error was made as a few of us were driving strong to wards the start of of the final lap and more should have been made of the twisty circuit to break fully away but the the now smaller field regrouped.
I felt that the energy was dwindling from me rapidly throughout lap5 and although I had made up a rather ineffective plan to push hard for home in the last 2 miles, I was not able to sustain and lost out as the finishing line approached and riders began to sprint on.

The dip in the line with 1/2 mile to go shows where my effort failed. I probably thought that the finish was closer than it was - that showing unfamiliarity with the circuit.

Form Trending

The season is nearly over but with 2 races to do it is worth having a check on the form book as to how I may perform.

Each rate this season I have annotated with a performance rating of between 0 and 5. From diabolical to outstanding.

The chart below shows 2 peaks and the latter trend is positive again.
The mid season high was a creditable performance in the TLI Crit championships and the high at the end is my road race championship rating.
At least this shows that my training has been correct in respect of peaking performance in the critical races.

When to keep to the plan

When the weather turns to the good and the training plan suggests an hour with a few intervals then take advantage of the weather and get out on the road!
Ok, I find it extremely difficult to do structured work on the road so the interval plan gets thrown out of the window with the only proviso that the plan indicates easy to moderate.
An average wattage for the ride - 159
HR average - 131

Mow Cop in the distance.. a peaceful moment after 55 miles

 
 A road ride also has another purpose - fresh air and a glimpse of blue skies and the sun!

Want to improve your health and fitness, then STAY out of the gym/health club. Full of germs and recycled air.
Do yourselves al a favour and buy a pair of fancy running shoes or a bike!

Raising intensity

In preparation to build a little more training load, the next 3 days are going to have an edge to them.
Friday - 1.5 to 2 hours Level 3 - 5 work - TSS 150
Saturday - 1 hour Level 4/5 work - TSS 100
Sunday - 3 hours Levels 2 -5 fast road work TSS 200



 

Race Training ...

OK, the LVRC race on the 29th September is my next event.
The course is pan flat therefore requirements are going to be speed and power.

Suggested routine today is a session of 'Force Reps' on the turbo or spin bike.
A 'force rep' is with a pedal stroke using a high gear - 53/13 or 53/11 . On a spin bike quite a few turns of resistance although the 'biofeedback' from using spin bikes is pretty poor unfortunately. Meaning the way pressure is felt in the leg muscles is unlike your road bike as the effect of the large flywheel can take over if you can get over the initial resistance.
If you take care your turbo setup can replicate a road feel very accurately so when you choose an easy gear it will feel as though you are making enough effort to cruise and conversely when choosing a sprint gearing it is as hard as though you were actually 20 metres away from the line.
Force reps require that 'sprint effect'.
12 to 15 pedal strokes to try and kick in fast twitch muscle fibre type and to drain the powerful but short lived explosive energy they deliver.
3 minutes to rebuild and repeat as many times your training time allows.

Recovery Day

The leg muscles are very much stressed the following morning after the TLI championship race. Just goes to show that the course may look benign but by the very fact that each lap and mile was increasingly demanding made it a true championship course.
It suited those with a string will to survive. With my age giving away a little too much I was never in any comfort zone for any part of the race. My race bidon was still half full.... my food still in my pocket... only a quarter of my gel bottle consumed. Testament to the fact that there was no time to relax at all and it was work and more work to keep on the ball and stay on the game.

 Organisation from AudlemCC the hosts was top notch and thanks for a clean (ish) and safe race.
Oh, by the way , me ending up in a hedge was simply a result of fatigue and rounding a corner a little too hot. 
No hard feelings whatsoever to unfortunate driver of the car who was faced with a bike racer with a look of terror! Quick incident management meant I actually didn't have to dismount and was lifted out of the hedge, puncture check made and once again off to join the pain game.

One point to note was the value of training software in managing the targets set by yourself.
The Performance Management chart shows an example of my tapering week in the lead up to the race

 

The freshness needed to survive and race can be a guessing game. The specific workouts suggested by Training Peaks takes the headache away.



(Next target is to actually finish a LVRC race in 2013 - 29th Sept)