a new season

Anyone looking out the window these days in Alberta is probably finding it just a little bit hard to even think about getting out to train on the bike. With just over a week from the first race and just under a month to the first stage race it has definitely been a difficult year to find a consistent training regime. One week hot and then one week cold, it is a cruel thing to do to a cyclist but that is the nature of living in Alberta. As an athlete, albeit, a mature one, finding the extra spark to get out training in trying conditions is no easy feat but our community is pretty good at motivating each other with indoor group rides and training sessions as well as giving friends an extra nudge to ride outdoors when it’s just above freezing.  Strava has also come in handy at motivating ourselves as we are able to see what our peers are doing… or not doing. Nevertheless, those first few rides of the year always (re)sparks the love of cycling and reminds us of why we enjoy the freedom to escape down the road. Independence, fresh air, meditation, anticipation, pain and suffering (think Silvertip climbs) and camaraderie with friends and team mates that is cycling.

This year I have a taken a slightly different approach as my goals are a little further out in the season and training has started late. I’ve jumped in to some extra volunteer work with the club and with the upcoming Tour of Alberta. The Tour of Alberta will be an awesome event and we have put together a strong group of committee leaders here in Canmore. Even the Town of Canmore has put their weight and support behind an event that will blow through downtown in less than 60 seconds. Perhaps we could name the downtown portion “gone in 60 seconds” but that is the nature of the sport. Lots of anticipation then fleeting moments. Our Town goes to great lengths to make things happen.

Cycling is more than just a sport, it’s a passionate group  of encouraging people. As I’m reminded that the sport has given me back my fitness and new friendships I am feeling the need to reciprocate a little bit more to the community. As for passion I must admit that with my daughter getting bigger, older and more able (independent)  I had secretly hoped that she too might become a bike racer (which she just well may in ten years) but at this point she is teaching us some great lessons about passion and anticipation, something I wish I could distill and put in my water bottle. Alison likes to ride her bike but she absolutely loves dancing and yesterday was her first ever ballet lesson. Now, she has participated in a few little critter bike races and has been pretty excited about them and the attention she gets but her excitement at those events was relative to the external experience.  Taking her to her first lesson gave me one of those opportunities that makes being a parent a blessing. Watching her having a profoundly internal experience that she was in love with the freedom of dance will never be lost on me. I guess we could say it was her new found experience of movement which is such a key element of development and personal growth.

She will experience this in other ways and in other sports but the only thing that matters is that look on her face and her unbridled enthusiasm. It was special, it was magical and I feel blessed to have been there to see it. Moving on I am reminded that I must always try to find that sense of enthusiasm and make the world around us as awesome as possible or as Jeff from the Yoga Lounge likes to say… “Super Awesome.”

Lets move!

Mid season race report

This is a post I started in early July but found myself distracted for the next few months.

Since coming home from the Mount Hood Stage race I avoided writing about the season to date. Results were mixed since the Velocity Stage Race and I was struggling to move along in subsequent races. Neither high nor low my June racing results started off with personal disappointment and quite a bit of fatigue. The last stage of the Banff Bike Fest was a tough slog that started at 7 am with cold temperatures and light, not to mention a driving peleton that had some serious firepower, I found myself looking for an exit. My own team drove the pace and set a high tempo that was too much for me after racing back to back weekends. I rode well the previous day with a double header of a time trial (TT) and criterium. I had a personal best in the TT and showed some panache in the crit by attacking off the front on more than one occasion which is a bad habit I have when my family is out watching. Going off the front was a reaction to show off for my daughter in the crowd and not really a smart thing to do but it was fun nonetheless.

Banff Bike Fest Crit 

Cycling is humbling. Full stop. Not everyone is going to win, the experience is generally painful… reality of bike racing so take in stride and take a few days off the bike.

After dropping out of the last stage at Banff I started a taper for the following week in an attempt to boost my form and be competitive for the Provincial Criterium and Devon Road Race. I was wiped out and resting was key. I landed up riding well in the crit but had great form the following day in the road race. We forced a split in the group and eventually road off with a group of eight riders for the remaining 80 km. Two hours of tempo riding and dealing with two groups of three team mates had me wondering what would transpire. Speed Theory launched attack after attack while the ERTC guys sat like docile pack rats. With the exception of Ben from ERTC the rotation of our small group was painful. Work or get caught by the chasing grupettos was the situation so it was work. I knew that if I played it right and backed off over the last 10 km I could probably work out a good finish. Surprisingly, the Speed Theory boys decided to start a lead out without about 4 km to go. Not quite sure why they would martyr themselves so far out I sat on the train while looking over my should and waiting for the inevitable attack from ERTC. Waiting…. waiting…. then bang. The other independent rider I was with in this group of eight launched a wicked sprint and had a large gap but it wasn’t the second train from ERTC that I expected. The Speed Theory riders were toast from their bizarre lead out and I squeezed around them with Ben from ERTC on my wheel, Ben worked hard throughout the race so I was pleased to see him ride ahead of the rest to finish on the podium.

With 800 m to go this was an excruciatingly long sprint. I could feel the lactate acid bubbling and after a 130 km I just put my head down and was mustering every ounce of remaining energy. With 10 m to go I was trying to propel my bike forward by pumping my arms to no avail. I crossed the line in second place but the effort in the race had me feeling like the victor. Even better was that we out foxed six team riders who had every opportunity to control the race and the outcome. Nevertheless, it was a great day and vindication from the Tunnel Mountain Road Race.

Palmares

As the cycling season comes to an end I will miss the experiences of riding with a great club and with all the friends I made in the peleton. 2012 was a success and I look forward to a few more seasons on the bike. The dedication to race took a lot of time and energy but you only get out what you put in. Winning the Individual Time Trial at the last stage race of the year was a true highlight and exclamation point on the season.

Lets move!

 

What’s next?

Off the bike I’ve been asking, asking myself what’s next.  Training for cycling has been a great process and tool in finding form, fitness and confidence and, most importantly, it’s brought back some passion. Outside of family I found myself falling flat after many years in hospitality. One long reach for the top and when we get there we find ourselves asking what’s next? New career position, new town, bigger salary?

In a reversal of that process of upward change I’ve been thinking more of what’s best rather than what’s next. Family is most important; cycling and community is essential  and now, most importantly, continuity.

As I was racing up and down paved fire-roads in Oregon several months ago I thought a lot about our family, Misty and Alison. I got side swiped with a flu after just getting over a two week cold but decided that I had to race anyway which wasn’t the smartest move. Unfortunately, when you’re not doing great you can get down on yourself and start asking yourself why am I doing this? Ironically a state of poor form from fatigue and training, then trying to race through it, is a good way to force yourself to dig and ask some tough questions. Cycling is a selfish endeavor and requires a lot of time to train and race. Time that could be spent with family but the opportunity to achieve is fleeting and won’t last, especially after 40. All this can lead to a snafu. Scale the expectations and get in to balance. I was left with that last thought on the way home from Mount Hood.

Back in the day…

Lately I have been hearing a lot of people say “back in the day.” Knowing exactly, or somewhat, what back in the day means I am happy to be living in the day. Perhaps the onset of middle age, although I look and feel a lot younger than most 40 + year olds, is driving me further and further away from succumbing to what every-man will eventually face when we live our future through a historic looking glass. The harder I train the less I talk about the past glory days which were unrequited for me anyway. Never able to live up and follow through on youthful success I am grateful for where I am now with my sporting life.

The RMCC Crew leading the peleton (I’m third from right)

This past week I put in a very hard effort to gain additional fitness in a lead up to three weeks of stage racing. After VeloCity I was sick and lost some form but after recovering I decided to crash train before a taper leading in to the Mount Hood Cycling Classic which is followed by two stage races. The week started off with the Provincial Road Race Championships which was my first race after being upgraded.  The morning of the race I thought back to the last time I raced provincials which was too long ago. Twenty Five years. I won that race by a large margin and I thought about that too as I lined up for the start. The difference today was that I knew it was not my day and that I had to make up for some lost training. Today would be a day to suffer and work for the team.

In the end our team won with well executed moves in the final lap. We had two contenders and one sprinter in reserve. One of our riders was most likely marked from winning the road race at Velocity but the two of us worked to close a break, launch Chris in a winning move then control the race. With the help of another team we were successful. It was a great day and after crossing the line I was able to actually be happy to say that my form is getting close to what I had “back in the day.”

I achieved my main goal of getting upgraded to Category Three, I’ve been on the podium a few times but now I want to exceed what I did in the past. I look to the time trials for that comparison and the ability to be a good team mate and help the group succeed.

Thanks for reading and please share your experiences.

Lets move!

p.s. the next Kendal generation is getting a big head start on training!

Belgian Up!

Two months ago I started to write this post but I put my virtual pen down after the title Belgian Up was finished with 10 key strokes. Belgium up means harden up and put your head down. Writing about training and the process of it has been an important part of the journey to finding form but when the intensity ramped up during a build block from the beginning of March to mid April there wasn’t much desire to write and be creative. Long days, early mornings, recovery then finally, out on the road and hitting it hard. By the third week of April we were getting out for some serious rides the longest being over 170 km with tempo. Winter training was highly effective and it didn’t take long to get road legs and deal with the varying temperatures and climate.

By the end of April it was time to race and Velocity was on the horizon the following week. The build up to Velocity was difficult mentally and I was still somewhat fatigued from hard efforts the previous two weeks. I didn’t want to peak for the first stage race but I needed a a good performance to get upgrade points. Training wasn’t going to be sacrificed for a full taper. Anticipation of results was getting the better of me and I hardly slept the night before the first stage. Looking back I had to think about the training, the goals and the program. Everything we did to lead up to the race was what we (or I) were suppose to do. Training, recovery, mental preparation and stated goals.

When the day finally came this past Saturday all the performance pieces fell in to place and my expectations were not important anymore. There was nothing else I could do to improve now at that moment. I mentally reviewed the course for the Time Trial in my head, having ridden it several times prior, during the warm up on the trainer. I put my favorite tunes on the Ipod and slipped in to a hyper like state of anticipation. I had no clue of how I was going to ride.

With ten minutes before my start time I downed a gel to get a blood sugar response to prepare for the intense effort. Rolling up and down the backroads before the start I was calm yet highly strung. My legs just wanted to rip. With a few minutes to go I thought back to the previous two years results. 16:48 in 2010, 14:48 in 2011. What would it be this year? Why was I doing this? That was the other question.

Now I was at the starting gate for the time trial. I thought back to the days when I rode on the track and then I said to myself I would ride this like a pursuit and just go from the bell. It’s at this point that I start to distract myself with meaningless details. For me it was the cool Omega timing system… makes you feel pro when it starts counting down. 5,4,3,2,1… and were off. I started hard out of the saddle to almost a full sprint and accelerated up to 650 watts and was averaging 47 km/hour. A little too fast, heart rate (HR) was going up just as quick. When I saw my HR creeping over 178 after a minute I knew I had to calm down. Rounding the first corner I dropped low and pushed as far forward on the saddle as I could. HR dropped to a sustainable 176 BPM and power was floating around 380 watts. I could hold this!

At the four minute mark I was maintaining my power and HR and knew that this was a good pace and perhaps a winning pace. I caught my 30 second man at five minutes but not knowing who he was didn’t improve my ride. At least it wasn’t me being caught. As I rounded the last corner I looked down to see that I only had 9.5 minutes on the clock and I was pumped. The last section of the course is very fast and slightly downhill. With 1 KM to go I buried myself. I knew I had ridden the race flat-lining my top end from the start but perhaps I had one more gear. I was able to ramp up the last minute over 400 watts and I was cross-eyed when I hit the line. I had nothing left and when I hit the timer I was at 13:18 and average 347 watts.  A personal best and a big gain. Competition allows you to go beyond what you do in training but looking back at the lead up I did everything I needed to do.

Other people invested time, training and support for my program. In particular, my family, coach and Ascent Physio. That was in the back of my mind when I raced this weekend and I felt like I was racing for more that just myself.

The rest of the weekend followed with continued success and great support from my team mates. We were all prepared to work for each other. During the road race my mates were always in site and at the end of the stage they were there cruising in the sprint and ready to go for it or be a lead out train.

The final stage was a text book ride. Short sharp and hard. Right from the gun I rode hard to shred the pack and within two laps there were three of us of the front. One of the riders was the overall leader so it was a winning move. My RMCC mates weren’t going to chase us down and would most likely provide some blocking support in the peleton. In the end we had a great situation and I finished second in the crit. Overall there were three podiums on the weekend and the coveted upgrade points that I was looking for in advance of racing at the Mount Hood Cycling classic.

The racing was fun and so was the travel and company. I have no idea how long I can do this for  but for now I would say that I have found form and I’m loving it.

Lets move!

Flow

Flow: ”the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.”

Last week I entered the second week of a six week strength training block in preparation for the upcoming  season. Training is currently about twelve to fifteen hours per week with some days having two workouts. The fatigue I was expecting came but it was enjoyable to ride through the stress. Feeling calm during those training sessions I felt that I could go beyond the prescribed plan.

Building on a base that started back in November I found myself experiencing a wonderful feeling of flow in that second week. During a couple of intense interval sessions my mind felt disconnected from whatever pain and force I was experiencing during the workouts. My legs were absorbing a crushing amount of force but I was was riding ahead of myself with the pain just behind me, not too far away but not too close; somewhat numbing and a nice place to be. Nimble is another way to view this. Feeling nimble, agile…. able.

Finding mental flow in training and racing is equally as important as strength and that feeling allows you to go just a little further and a little faster. Flow will get to the podium, it will allow you to endlessly ride like you did as a kid, climb faster and it gives you the ability to slow down the actions that are taking place around you. Your perception is just a little bit ahead of the universe.

Getting to a state of flow comes from the repetitive actions of training and doing the right things to recover and prepare for the next period. Some days I ride a little too hard, some days I try to talk myself out of training and some times I just feel too stressed to focus but last week was a great week with the sense that the pieces are coming together, a plateau has been reached and now it’s time to move on to the next goal.

The picture to the left is Nick Smit and myself just behind (both of us in the Alberta kit) at the Ottawa Milk Race in 1985. Both faces show mental prep before a race but Nick is showing a great example of an athlete calming himself and getting in to the right state of mind.

Lets move!