A Season Evaluated
The cycling season is a long one, no question about it. To maintain a smart and consistent training and racing schedule requires much motivation and discipline. There is no limit to the number of issues that can derail a season. I am always amazed at how some riders I know can maintain such consistency throughout such a long and arduous season.
My season really began in April of 2009. That is when I really started riding and training specifically for cycling. At the time I was training for the Vermont City Marathon and coming off a year of no substantial aerobic training (although my biceps and pec’s were impressive). I have always oscillated back-and-forth between cycling and running. I have never really been able to do both at the same time. Forget about adding in swimming either. Not a chance. My marathon training was nearing the end and I was ready for a change, ready to start riding again. So I did. And I didn’t stop for a full year+.
I spent the Summer and Fall riding a ton and continued through the winter. I was logging many miles in the basement and, due to the relatively snowless winter, outside as well. I started a cycling team, so I was extra motivated to ride as much as possible. I wanted to be absolutely peaked for the Tour of the Battenkill at the beginning of April. And I was.
After Battenkill, I continued to race and train hard. I raced well in April and into early May and then IT happened. I started to feel that downward slide. That feeling of “your cooked” began to haunt me a week before the Killington Stage Race. This coupled with the disasterous criterium a week before (See “Who’s the Moron Now” for details) left me absolutely physically and mentally destroyed. It was the beginning of June; I was supposed to be in peak form.
At this point I did what any athlete with half a brain should do: I took a break. I took some much needed time off the bike. I ran a little, swam a little (maybe I might be a triathlete after all), and ate a lot. Just as I was to resume my bike training I found out that my mother’s health was getting progressively worse. I decided to take another week to travel to see her. That meant another week off the bike.
At the same time this was happening, I was still waiting to find out if I had a full-time teaching position for 2010-2011. I was fairly confident it would come through, but it still weighed me down mentally and emotionally.
I attempted to start training again in early July, but I realized I had lost something. I didn’t lose a lot of power or aerobic fitness as much as I lost something much greater inside myself: DESIRE. Cycling had been front and center for over a year and now I was faced with issues of much greater significance. The mental and emotional drain, as well as the time I had to devote to meeting the needs of my family, prevented me from resuming any significant training. But that’s life. And I love my family more than I love cycling.
I just returned from another trip south to see my mother and I am headed back once more before the end of the summer. I realize any chance of salvaging a season is pretty much over. I have gained weight and lost power, which is disappointing. The Green Mountain Stage Race, our local 4-day epic stage race, is on labor day weekend exactly 4 weeks away. I don’t know whether to do it or not, knowing I haven’t trained nearly enough to be competitive. One thing has changed however, DESIRE.
I want to do it. I need the focus back. I need the fitness back. And, I love to race. I realize under the circumstances, I will not be as good as I could be if I didn’t work, didn’t have kids, and didn’t have a mom with declining health that lives 10 hours away. But I do and they come first.
So, with 4 weeks until the GMSR I will try and follow a standard 3 weeks of build and one week of rest training plan. I will also try and lose the 5 pounds I’ve gained as a result of stress, lack of training, and overindulgence. Provided I can do this, I will race the GMSR. After GMSR I will transition to running and train for the Vermont 50K and Richmond Marathon in November. And who knows, maybe I will finally learn how to swim well and figure out how to manage 3 sports!
Happy riding, mb
Alberto Citarello nabs 2nd at Tour of the Catskills
Read the race account in his own words:
So, just wanted to provide everyone with a little summary of how things played out in the Cat 4 race. I don’t know how Philip did because didn’t see him after his race. It looked like he did well.
Friday – I obviously had an amazing day. I have not felt that good on a bike the entire season. I caught my 30 second man, then my minute man and almost caught the 1:30 man at the line. Had my heart rate up above 180 the entire time which is not something I thought I could do. Anyway, I was super happy and had about a 13 second lead going into Saturday.
Saturday – Things stayed together, despite a lot of attacks, until the first climb at 25 miles. The climb was about 4 miles long. At the top of the climb there were about 5-7 of us left. We rode it in together (by the end there were only 5 of us) and got another 1+ minute on the next group of 5 riders and 2+ minutes on another group. I got second to my future nemisis. By winning, he got a time bonus and was now within 10 seconds on GC. Overall though, I was feeling pretty confident that I could hold him off on Sunday.
Sunday (the day all hell broke loose) – This was a 58 mile race with a ridiculous climb at mile 45. Imagine the last section of the App Gap for about 1.5 miles with a few (and I do mean few) respites of 10-20 yards scattered throughout. The climb was only 1.5 miles but climbed more vertical than the App Gap. At about mile 20, a group of 5 guys gets a small gap. I didn’t think anything of it because there did not appear to be any climbers in it and no one from my group of five yesterday was in it. However, they quickly got about a minute lead and no one (and I mean no one) was doing any work. All the biggest teams had guys in the break so they didn’t need to do anything. Then comes Christian up to the front. He proceeds to pull the pack from mile ~20 to mile ~40. I am not exaggerating or overstating when I say that I would not have ended up on the podium without the work that Christian put in. Christian pulled the entire 20+ miles to the base of the climb with maybe about a 1-2 minute respite. It was a MONSTER pull. Something I’ve never seen before. Christian gets us to the base of the climb and things shatter. Then its just me and my nemisis. We’ve caught the break (except for one guy). My nemisis attacks with 1 km left on the climb and I can’t keep up. By the top, he has 40 seconds. I wait up for two guys about 5-10 seconds behind thinking 3 can work better than 1. With 10 km to go, I get cramps in both of my legs (imagine simultaneous charlie horses in both quads). So that pair has now drop me. I take 15-20 seconds, massage my legs, do a little prayer and keep pedaling. I end up 5 or 6 on the day only about 20 seconds on the guys who dropped me but about 1+ minute behind the GC winner.
So that’s it.
Again, I can not stress enough the insane amount of work that Christian put in to get me to the climb and not let the 5 man group get a 10 minute gap. I would not have gotten second on GC. If the podium were big enough for two, he should have been up there.
A
Out of Matches?
There is a quote from Joe Friel in his book, The Cyclist’s Training Bible, that I believe is the single greatest nugget of wisdom in that book. It reads, “Every time you put your wheel on the starting line there is an emotional investment. After some number of these in a short period of time, the rider loses enthusiasm. It’s as if you only have so many matches to burn, and once they are all used up, the body and mind are unwilling to continue.”
This quote comes from Friel’s section on “Racing into Shape” as a method of training. The idea is to build a base of 1000 miles of easy riding and then race as much as possible. In our area you can race on the weekends, do a Tuesday World’s ride, and a Thursday night time trial every week if you want to. For some, the mental and physical cost of riding hard this much is fine and does produce good results. For many, especially masters racers, training this way quickly leads to burnout.
Here’s why:
Consider a competitive, category 3-masters racer that trains 12 hour a week. Assume this rider can produce 4 watts/kg at threshold. If this rider races in a master field or often rides with local, elite riders then this rider will have to dig deep to compete. Said another way, this rider will burn significantly more “matches” on a fast group ride or in a race than the better riders in his field or group. (A “match” is a term used to describe efforts well above threshold for longer than 30 seconds). This means recovery will take longer and the long-term impact or cumulative fatigue will be greater.
Why is this important? Many riders consider local world’s rides, training criteriums, or time trials merely part of their training and not races per se. This can very well be the case depending on the efforts. However, if a rider is regularly putting in more than a few efforts well above threshold (i.e. burning a lot of matches) then these events will take the same toll as races. Furthermore, there is a much higher emotional investment in these rides than there is in doing sets of intervals because of the “competition” factor. If this rider is also racing a lot, then the “matchbook” quickly becomes empty.
The take away message here is to be careful about riding too hard, too much. Just because you see others racing every weekend as well as doing every local event there is, does not mean it is good for you. I am convinced that mental fatigue is just as detrimental as physical fatigue. The two together can ruin a season. Take plenty of rest between hard days, especially if they are really hard days. When you see your enthusiasm start to wane, back it down and ride easy or rest altogether.
Do not feel like you have to be at every local event every week or race every weekend. Make sure they fit your training plan. And, if you do choose to attend, monitor your efforts. Save your matches for when you really need them.
Who’s the moron now?
Cycling is full of peaks and valleys. Some days you get results, some days…well you just want to put the bike away and never ride again.
Last Sunday I capitalized on some really good form, rode hard, got in a break, and finished third against some high quality competition. I was pumped, confident, and proud. I am riding much better than I ever have. Not only can I hang with the local elite riders; I can get away from them too. My ego has grown to an unhealthy level. Case in point: two different riders in the race almost caused me to crash and I blasted them with insults and language that rivaled the most vial of sailors. My reaction was steeped in the fact that I considered myself a “superior” rider because I was faster and therefore had the right to hurl loads of negativity. Their riding was a little reckless, but you have to assume it goes with the territory. They did not deserve what came out of my mouth.
I raced last night as well. I rode hard again, spending the majority of the race on or off the front. My good form and unhealthy ego began to cloud my judgment. With 3 laps to go, I found myself at the back third of the pack. I wanted my finish to reflect the work I put in, so I decided to sneak up the left side of the group as we approached a left hand turn. As the group went wide, I dove into the corner with everything I had. I cut the corner tight and hit my pedal on the ground which startled the group. Insults and four letter words started to erupt from the group as if I had just committed the most unforgivable of sins. To make matters worse, a crash occurred at the back of the group leaving one guy pretty banged up. Whether this was my fault certainly could be debated, but my conscience tells me it was.
One rider, whom I respect highly told me to drop out and then proceeded to lecture me after the race was over about how and how not to ride. “Yes, yes I know,” I told him. “I made a mistake and I’m sorry. I made a very, very bad mistake.” Other riders gathered ’round after the race to talk about what happened. On the one hand they could not refute that I was just as strong as any of the elite riders in the group. On the other hand, I was a indeed reckless and I needed to know that.
This was the first time I have ever been responsible for anything like this. This is because I usually ride at the back or off the back when I race these guys. My form is good enough now for me to race aggressively and I want to do well. I have plenty of criterium racing experience, just not a lot experience with how to actually win a race. Getting a good result requires you to be aggressive. Sometimes it can lead to making very bad decisions. It happens. Still, I feel terrible about it. It also makes me think a lot about how I treated the two riders in Sunday’s race. People make mistakes. Especially cyclists. Just watch the Giro or the Tour of California.
I take a lot from this experience. Most importantly:
- Treat all riders with respect.
- Don’t let your ego cloud your judgment.
- If you make a mistake take responsibility, apologize, and move on. AND,
- Don’t put the bike away, no matter what. This too will pass.
I may not race another criterium anytime soon, but you can be sure that I will never repeat this mistake again. Sometimes it takes a little humiliation to get you to pay attention.
Ride on. mb
Onion River Criterium Pictures
Local Criterium Series
It is a beautiful Sunday morning. Light winds, blue sky, and warming temperatures. Today marks the beginning of the local criterium series. The Green Mountain Bicycle Club has played host to what used to be the only local crit series around. Our own Claude Raineault does a fantastic job running that series. Today the Onion River Sports Team will play host to a “points style” criterium race in Montpelier, Vermont.
Criterium racing is not my favorite. I am not a sprinter though I have improved. The course this morning is a little technical with a nice little incline before a straightaway sprint for points. Repeating this power climb followed by a hard acceleration for an hour wears on even the most fit riders. It is excellent training, especially for power and speed. Our masters team will be out in full force as will the ORS boys. It should be a great time. Stay tuned for the results….
Masters Team Update
Members of our master team will be headed to the Wayne Elliot Circuit Race on Saturday and the Blue Hills Classic on Sunday. These races will be fast and flat. The weekend looks to be spectacular for bike racing. Much better than the conditions we’ve had this week.
Vermont Sun Triathlon Series 2010
Just a short little plug for the Vermont Sun Tri Series. These are great events that take place in and around Lake Dunmore in Salisbury, VT. Two of our beloved sponsors (Fit Werx and VT Chiropractic and Sports Therapy) also sponsor these events and for good reason; they are some of the best events in the region. If you are a triathlete and are looking for some races to do, check out www.rushtonsports.com.
Bicycle Racing 101
I raced Turtle Pond this past weekend. At the beginning of the season I committed myself to doing the Masters 35+ category whenever there was one. This category is an interesting category because you have ex-pros mixed in with cat 1-4 riders. The field at Turtle Pond was about 36 riders. This is small in comparison to the other fields. The more races I do in this field the more I am realizing that success depends much more on tactics than on fitness. Of course you need fitness, but you also need to pay attention.
The 35+ race started fast. I stayed near the front, trying to mark the fliers as best I could. Two teams were present with more than 5 guys, so knew it was a matter of time before the machine gun attacks would begin. Sure enough, one right after the other launched off the front. I chased. I chase again. I chase again and again and again. Then I realized I was the only one doing this. So I stopped. Another guy launched off the front, followed by two more. Then two more. Know one chased them. Their teammates came to the front and blocked. Away they went.
I was too tired at this point to do anything about it. I just watched them ride away. We were only 8 miles into a 57 mile race. I accepted the fact that I missed the decisive move. Then, after about 20 miles it happened again. 3-4 riders broke free and nobody chased. So I did. The peloton followed me. We caught them. Then it happened again and nobody chased. Away they went.
It was at this point I realized there were three types of riders in this field. The experienced riders from the big teams knew they could continue to attack until nobody would chase them. The less experienced or less fit riders were just trying to sit in and survive. The third type of rider in this field was plenty fit, but lacked support and was relegated to doing most of the work to bring back the breaks. This was me and maybe 3 or 4 others. I think I worked harder in this capacity than I would have if I made the early break.
There are more than a few lessons here:
#1. Get 4-5 teammates to race with you. This will allow you to cover more breaks and share the work should you have to chase.
#2. Know who you are racing against. Certain guys have the legs to get away. Be sure to mark them.
#3. Don’t do too much work too early. If no other riders want to work, it will be along day anyway.
#4. Race more. The more experience you have racing in the same field the better you know the competition.
Last but not least, try and have fun even if you get stuck riding with wheel suckers. We’ve all been there.
The 2010 Prouty Century
Dear Rider:
On behalf of Impulse CYCLEsport of Shelburne, VT and Fit Werx of Waitsfield, VT, I would like to invite you to participate in the 2010 Prouty Bike Ride. This event is one of the most challenging and rewarding cycling events in the North East. From the Prouty website:
Participants in The Prouty and The Prouty Ultimate come together to celebrate and support the courage of cancer patients and survivors everywhere and to raise money for crucial cancer research and important patient services at this nationally-recognized cancer center. Since 1982, The Prouty has raised more than $9 MM in the fight against cancer.
Please consider joining us for this amazing event. Our goal is to raise at least $5,000 as a team. Information on The Prouty can be located online at www.theprouty.org. Cycling events include 20, 35, 50, and 100 miles. It is my hope that our team will commit to the 50- or 100-mile events.
As part of our team you qualify for the Fit Werx gives back program and a discounted Fit Werx jersey for the event. With every pre-event purchase made at Fit Werx, Fit Werx will donate three percent (3%) of your pre-tax spending to The Prouty up to $300. You will also be provided a customized training program from Impulse CYCLEsport to get you primed and ready for The Prouty.
The event will be held on Saturday, July 10, 2010. If you would like to join us please email me at impulsecyclesport@gmail.com. You can register as a member of the Impulse CYCLEsport-Fit Werx team on The Prouty website. We would love to have you! Download the official invitation here: Prouty Invitation
Many thanks,
Mike Burris
Director, Impulse CYCLEsport
802.497.4882
Our 2010 Team Sponsors!
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