The Columbia 6 Days

No, sadly the Greater Columbia area does not have a velodrome and is not hosting a 6 Days race. Rather, the Columbia 6 Days was the number of consecutive I was on the bike. 5 days of training, 1 recovery ride, and one set of tired legs.
I went out for 3:45 with a group today, it was a good ride to finish my training week. I played on some hills and rode in a nice quick paceline down Airbase. After everyone turned for home I went into Cayce with Casey to ride the riverwalk and get some extra miles. It was about as entertaining as Riverfront yesterday.
So here is my question, and I have two. Whenever I go on a group ride it seems like people want to stroll up the hills and hammer the flats. Don't get me wrong, I love hammering the flats, but I think we should not discriminate against the hills.
Second question. Why do people in the blog world use initials instead of names? Just curious.

After I took a nap I tried to play some Wii Fit, and my legs were burning after 5 minutes, so I'm guessing I racked up a lot of training stress this week. Fortunatly, I did not injure myself Mark Cavendish style.

Mountain

I missed the group road ride this morning, so after 45 minutes I decided to get off the road bike and head to Harbison to shred trails. It took me a while to warm up but half way through Lost Creek my legs opened up and Romey played cat-and-mouse through the trails. We hit Spiderwoman and hauled through much faster than I have ever gone before. It was a good general SST style effort, not at race pace but pretty quick. We ended up with 20 miles in a little over 2 hours.

Then we lost our minds and went to Riverfront Park to ride 5 miles on a MUP in full (muddy) kit, clipless pedals, and mud-covered carbon bikes. It was fun and stupid but I was entertained.

Reality

I just suck at Threshold and Time Trial efforts, anything over 5 minutes and I feel slow. I did a set of 2x20 minutes yesterday at the end of a 2 hour ride with Casey and Maria and I couldn't help but feel lame pulling them around and not going very fast. The stiff wind did help my cause either. Wind or not, these workouts are something I need so I can suck less. The amazing thing is how much faster I can go with just one other person, that little bit of rest gives the boost I need to get on it. This leads me to think my 5 minute power is a bit higher than what I tested and I didn't really know how to 'game' the test to hit my highest numbers.

The real world application is that I need to look for a break-mate or few in the spring races while I'm looking to collect points for getting to Cat3, that or just try to Kilo the sprint from a long way out. I also need to put my head down during those Threshold intervals and learn to embrace the suck.

Threshold

My coach is an overt sadists.

My January schedule is full of Time Trial and Lactate Threshold workouts, so yesterday I rolled out of bed at 6:15 to discover that it was still very dark. Sunrise was not until 7:29 so I got back in bed. I did my workout in the afternoon, it was 3x 12 minutes at TT effort/HR. So it was my first workout that was truely pain inducing for the year.

I've been bouncing around between my bike and my Dad's bike while I try to replace everything that's worn on mine. I think the poor frame has just about had it, though. The seat is also too low and I didn't bring my mini-tool so I did TT intervals with scrunched up legs. It's a good thing the season doesn't start for another 6 weeks so I can get my ish straight. I should probably bite the bullet and build up the Giant TCR frame I have lying around.

Just a bland Update

I admit to having been slack with the blog updates, fortunately I have not treated my bike(s) with the same neglect. Last Sunday was a 60 mile jaunt out to St. Matthews with 3 others. The pace was a bit brisk and the wind kept us single file for most of the ride. We rode up one decent hill and I experienced a bit of self-realization; if I pace it right I can ride up hills at a good clip and still blow over the top strong. I just have to be smart at the bottom and not spend all my cookies.
Rode Tuesday, pretty easy.
Rode Wednesday, did a sub LT interval. Then I hopped in a car and headed to Carolina Adventure World to ride the fat tire knobbies. They built a tough network of trails out there with a lot of hills, not much technical riding, and no-where to freaking ride tempo. It was fun, but being the roadie I am, I love riding tempo on double-track and logging roads.
Thursday was skills.
I went out for 3 hours with a group of 5. It was a good ride, I was having some FD issues so I didn't have anything bigger than a 39x15 (aka, really little gear). It made the fast sections interesting since I was spinning out like mad and having to hold that cadence. We stopped at G-Mart and I fixed my FD so I had access to my full cluster which was easily enough gear for the rest of the ride. I was able to sit a meter behind Mark and Nick while they vied for the Air Base sprint point. but lacked the juice to come around. I jumped for the Shop Rd sprint from a long way out but I'm not sure if anyone even tried to contest. Either way, it was good practice. If I'm going to win any races I can't wait for the 200m sign.
Tomorow will be a long ride provided the weather isn't total crap.

Watts and W/Kg

I had been a bit reluctant to post up the results of the power tests I did last week because I had all these numbers and no comparision for them other than the Power Profile chart Andy Coggan drew up.


This is where my numbers fall on that chart.


The chart is nice but didn't tell me much about where I stack up against other racers in the CP4 classification. Craig, from US Para, emailed me back this morning and said that my endurance numbers look good but I need to be pushing about about 4.5 W/Kg in order to be competitve on the road internationally. I also need to be at that level to begin to have enough motor for the Pursuit. So in terms of numbers, I need to take my 20 minute power from 255 Watts to 280 Watts or a 10% increase by the time Nationals roll around in July. My 5 second and 1 minute power numbers aren't so rosy, Craig said I should be pushing an extra 2-3 W per Kg to have the speed I'll need on the track. I have a feeling that 5 second power is going to be the hardest for me to push up. I think that raising my 1 minute power will be the direct result of hard, intense racing coupled with a proper peak, whether or not it approaches 620W (10 W/Kg) this season or in some future season remains to be seen.

Mr. Scott

This blog is a letter going out to Christopher Scott:

Mr. Scott,
You are fast! 8 Paracyling gold medals over 4 games in the CP4 classification, World Championships, you have represented Australia well. I feel you have represented everyone with Cerebral Palsy well. Your world record in the 3km Individual Pursuit stands at 3:32.958; I have nothing but respect for your ability to ride a bicycle.
I know I'm just some skinny kid from South Carolina and you have never heard of me. At this point, I've done nothing noteworthy. I just wanted to introduce myself and let you know that I'm here and I will be chasing you. I am not going to make any grand claims about beating you, but I will try my hardest. I have heard that you may be retiring soon, but I hope you continue competing long enough that I can race against you. I would like the opportunity to see how I match up against the best. Know this; when it's cold, when it's raining, when the miles are long, when my legs ache and my lungs burn, the thought of catching you will be one of the thoughts that drives me on.
Respectfully,
Aaron Jacob Trent


Christopher Scott in Beijing

It's working!

I hadn't pushed the head unit far enough into the cradle. It took a solid push to get it in the cradle. Ok, 4 daysof headache solved by a little push. I'm feeling much beter now.

The People You Will Meet

This is a funny story that is somewhat related to bikes and mostly just about the incredibly small size of the world.
The story starts back in August or September at the beginning of the semester and right before the Paralympic Games. I'm sitting in a computer lab at school reading Ron William's (2 time Paralympian) blog when the girl next to me says, "how do you know Ron Williams?" So I told her that we met at Para-Nationals. Taylor and I talked for a while and ran into each other in the lab throughout the semester.
Fast Forward to Saturday, a few new faces on the ride and 2 of them were a couple (Cleve and Jackie) that recently moved to Columbia. Yesterday, Taylor wrote on my facebook wall and told me that I rode with her sister and brother-in-law.

It is just really crazy how small this bicycle world is. You meet someone at a race in Denver, and you ride with someone they know in Columbia. Oh yeah, and there's rumor that Cleve is a Cat(really little number) so there's another Cat(really little number) around town to rip my legs off, sweet!

The Next Day Sucks!

When your longest ride is in December the next day can be rough. Like mine was! 2 hours 15 minutes on the Mountain Bike. My legs did not want to turn the cranks over at all. I will be happy to see tomorrow's rest day. Power testing begins Tuesday!

When your longest ride of the year happens in December

75 miles, 55 with a group. Not too crazy, but there was one fast section. It was fun, but it was the longest ride I have done this year, so I did not wake up this morning to ride because I was tired. I'm getting ready to head to Harbisson to ride the dirt.

Don't Go Shopping

I was Christmas shopping in one of the mid-level department stored last night and wandered past the fragrance counter. I asked the fragrance counter attendant if I could smell some of the offerings and I particularly liked this stuff...


Naturally, I started the bike math when I looked at the price tag. I can buy enough bike stuff with that much money to convince me to not buy it. I was temporarily lost in a world where I had the disposable income to buy nicer stuff, but I snapped back to reality. The thought of the spring races, tearing up the boards at the ADT Velodrome in July,

and racing in Sevilla, Spain during the Vuelta a Espana; yes, that's worth way more than smelly stuff.

Broke Spoke

Yup, 76 degrees and I finally got outside for a ride this week. Warm up, and proceed to start my little gear sprintervals (67 gear inches). Finished the first with 153 rpm, a good start for sure. I was on track to break my flatland RPM PR (157). I felt a wobble, checked it out. I had a broken spoke on the rear non-drivetrain side. I limped home. The end.

Then and Now

I was looking through some old pictures and ran across this.


That was Feb, 2006, about 3 years ago and at least one lifetime in the past. As is evidenced, I was going through a bit of a "fabulous" stage. It was fun, met a variety of people, stayed up until the small hours on the weekend, and got to wear clothes that were a kick to wear out.


And now.
That was taken in June at Para Nationals.
So 3 years later I never really go sleep later than 12, and 10 or 11 is pretty common. I don't buy clothes so it's hard to put together an interesting ensemble or have anywhere to wear it if I do. I get to travel, and meet cool people. And I get my picture taken by sickeningly amazing photogs.

I think it's funny how different things are.

Untitled

Cycle Center has a rental PowerTap that I'm going to use to get some baseline numbers. Craig wants to see 5 second, 1 minute, and 20 minute power. He acknowledged that it is winter, which is a relief for me. I know my top end is not what it was back in July, but he said he has enough data to estimate summer power from winter power, cool. So I just need to finish my last exam and rock out the power tests. My last exam is Saturday so I should have the new toy early next week.

I Need to Borrow a Power Meter

It's exam week, ugh. But I have good news and it has nothing to do with saving money on car insurance.

I have been in contact with the Coach and Director of the Paracycling team and talked to him about moving to COS next summer. He knows about me wanting to race Pursuit, which means he reads my blog (scary, what if I say something stupid) or someone told him (the more likely scenario). He said they may be opening up the residency program at the OTC and I could be a candidate, but he wants to see numbers. What I need is to get some numbers and send them his way. I'm not optimistic that I will be producing anything spectacular in December, but I want to get him something so he knows that I'm serious about doing this and want my name on that list. I'll be doing some lab testing in the future, but I can get some power files if I can access a Power Meter.

So, if anyone that reads this has a PM they would like to lend me for a few hours or a weekend, please let me know!

Thanks.

Why the Individual Pursuit is My Focus for 2009

By this time it is pretty well established that I am planning to move to Colorado Springs after I graduate to be near the Paracycling program, the OTC, the 7-eleven Velodrome, and Colorado Mountains. I've given some consideration to which of the 3 qualifying events I want to make my focus and I have settled on the Individual Pursuit. The following is my rationalization for choosing to make the Individual Pursuit my focus at next years Para Nationals; not that I need to rationalize it to anyone else. I do have to rationalize to myself since I have that habit of overthinking just about everything.

The Team Sprint and Road Races are not qualifying events so that leaves the 3 Time Trials.

Kilo: One Kilometer on the Track, the Kilo is a really long standing start sprint. The Kilo is a bit of an odd event stuck somewhere between sprints and endurance events, and it doesn't have the greatest crossover to longer races. I'm not exactly known for my massive sprint and I like enduro races.

Road Time Trial: Yes, being able to TT is very valuable but it does not appeal to me as a primary discipline.

Individual Pursuit: 3 Kilometers of pure pain, but it's over in less than 4 minutes. That sounds about perfect to me. The best Pursuiters are Road Racers that do specific pursuit work leading up to big events because the best way to pursuit is build a big huge aerobic engine and tune it up with some big power for a race. With IP I can train and race on the road until I head to Colo Springs where I can touch up my 4 minute power and start learning to pace myself. The base I will have built will lend itself to the road TT and having a lot of 4 minute power may result in a decent Kilo time. Besides my love for the Velodrome the Pursuit is a race I can train for on the road while the specific preparation will have some overlap to my other events. Is it spring yet?

Ravenous

I put in about 2h 40m with Casey and I am now ridiculously hungry. I haven't been in the saddle for that long since early September, but it was a fun ride. It wasn't so cold this AM and the sun was brightly shining. The Hopkins countryside was even a little scenic, but I like farms.
Now I have to go to my last day of school this semester!

Good Morning

I met Casey on the fort bright and early yesterday for about 90 minutes of cruising. Despite the 40 degree temperature and winds gusting over 20mph only my fingers and toes felt the cold. It was a good ride. Morning rides are not messed up by the losing battle with daylight and it's really nice to have a training partner when it's cold. I had to go to bed early Sunday night to get up at 6 on Monday, but that's good for me. Another nice thing about morning training is that I know I don't have to train again so I can focus on other things. Also, I could train again if I felt like it.

In other news, I might be getting a head cold, so I'm going to rest up and get better.

Meduim Durometer Man

I went for a 2 hour ride with Clayton today. It was a little on the cool side, not cold enough for me to earn "hardman" points, but cool enough to register on the durometer scale.
The early part of the ride was a talking pace with some force on the pedals. We opened things up a bit on the return part of the trip and I saw some glimmers of speed out of my legs. It was a good ride. I'll have a lot of free time over the next week and I'm looking forward to putting a few more road miles in the legs. The spring racing is less than 3 months away and it's time to think about sustaining some effort.