Tic toc, tic toc...

This past weekend was the ocup Bike the Bruce ITT. Racers are sent off one at a time in a race against the clock. The fastest rider wins. (Good equipment definitely plays a factor into this).  Aerodynamics is the name of the game here, especially when it was as windy as it was on sunday. Lacking a time trial bike I had to ride this one Merckx style (for those unaware, Eddie Merckx is a legendary cyclist and he was able to dominate time trials without the use of the time trial bars to get you into a better position).  In my category there were only two other riders, one completely decked out in gear and another riding Merckx.
The course was relatively flat out and back style. At about the 1.5km mark there was a short steep downhill. Here I thought I was going to crash because I started to get some insane speed wobbles. Luckily I made it through and kept riding. At about 9km there was a gravel patch about 15ft long from construction. Just had to play it safe going through there and avoid and flats or unnecessary crashes. Before I hit the end of the first stretch I had a waterloo cycling guy from E3 pass me. This kind of dropped my hopes and reinforcing the knowledge that I wasn't going as fast as I wanted.
On the way back I tried to push harder but the wind was killer. You never got a break from the wind on the course, not out nor back. I was able catch the other Merckx E4 rider before the steep uphill. I powered up the climb trying not to redline too far so that I didnt drop to a stop to recover. I pushed it as hard as I could till the finish.

Equipment wise I really wish I had TT extensions at least. I needed to get lower as I was too upright. Im also going to try to work on my back flexibility to help this (I am very inflexible :p) . I used the giro selector helmet, which is a great helmet. For that hot of a day (30+) the visor stops the sweat from evaporating. I spent most of the race trying to wipe it out of my eyes. While the visor looks great, its definitely not for me on hot days.

Overall I finished second, 3 mins back off first. I wanted to avg 41, but I got 38.6km/h. I know I can go faster, as I have done in both 40km TT and 15km TT. I don't know if it was the heat, the wind, my legs but I was slower than I should have been. Either way I earned a bunch of upgrade points and ocup points. I now sit 5th in the standings!

No pics but here are some links
Garmin :   http://connect.garmin.com/activity/202099902
Results:  http://www.ontariocycling.org/web_pages/results/20120723-204950-bbresults.htm
Picture:  http://www.sportszonephotography.ca/Cycling-2012/Bike-The-Bruce-O-Cup-TT/Part-II-Later-Startng-Racers/24334495_NH5hNn#!i=1982809916&k=txFBZjF

As always thanks for reading!!

He Shoots He Scores!

Today was the provincial championships located just outside of Bradford, Ontario. It was a great 12km loop that had flat start/finish, side 2 had a nice downhill for recovery, side 3 was flat to rolling hills, and the fourth side had a hill strava has listed as 'the beast'. I didnt find it all that bad of a hill, but thats kind of biased because I love to climb! This is a long post but lots of action!

The weather was perfect for the sportif race that launched in the morning. It was only 3 laps long, making it feel almost too short to go to. I knew I didn't have the conditioning for the much longer u23 race. So I thought I would have some fun with some tactics in the sportif race (which is what the elite 4 men are 'suppose' to do). From the get go my plan was to attack the first lap on the hill and try the break away. If the third lap came around and I was still in the group i would sit back and rest for the sprint.

The race started at a fairly slow pace. No one wanted to work it seemed. On the third stretch on one of the rollers, Mark riding for LapDogs, attacked. It was a bit earlier than I wanted to go so I moved up and started to go after him. I looked over my shoulder and noticed I was bringing everyone with me. I backed off and waited for the hill. The hill was the steepest at the bottom. Halfway up the steep section I jumped and had bridged the gap by the top of the hill. No one else came with me which was perfect! I immediately took command as I wanted this to hold. We started rotating every 30seconds keeping the pace high. The downhill on the second stretch allowed for much needed recovery time every lap.

On the second lap we started to pass some masters riders that started 2 mins before us. I knew we were doing good and had to keep it up. I encouraged him that 2nd place was better than last so we needed to work together and go! I was having chain problems (quick derailleur adjustment before the race screwed it up, should have let it be!). I almost dropped my chain on the second time up the hill. I let out a nice curse word then realized I was alright so I kept going. I was hoping that the Mark wouldnt take advantage of this on the last lap and leave me on the hill.

We got through to our last lap and I couldnt see the chasers behind us. Now it was time to make sure I had some left for the end, but not to slow down too much. Mark had his own plan having me take the wind during most of the third stretch with the hill. Lucky for me he didnt attack then. Once we turned the corner to the home stretch he went! I couldnt grab his wheel and thought I had lost it. I remembered Wiggins' tactic from watch the tour and tried to reel him in slowly. It worked and 500m left I was on his wheel. He slowed right up and let me back on the front. I kept the pace high enough to try and prevent him from recovering, but slow enough that I could still sprint. Now I was thinking of David Millar's win just a few days ago when he took the win from the front. I was watching the shadow waiting for a move. At the 200m mark I knew I would hit my max speed right by the finish line. At that point he hadnt gone yet so I figured it's in my best interest to sprint to the finish! All my sprint training the past few weeks paid off and he couldn't get by me! I took my first ever road victory!!! We ended up making a gap of just under 2 mins on the next group back which shows some good things for the time trial ahead next weekend!!

Tactically wise this race, everything went the way I wanted it to. The only thing for next time is to not screw with my derailleur just before the race!
Links: results http://www.ontariocycling.org/web_pages/results/20120715-205541-prresults.htm
Garmin data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/199675090

And a picture of the sprint to go home with! (courtesy of the Lovely Lise Munsie)

Round and Round We Go!

This past weekend was the CHIN picnic criterium. It was held on a short 1.4km course that is part of the molson indy track to be held soon. Overall a fun, fast course with some tight and dangerous corners.  The weather was perfect for the 8am race and there was a start group of about 50. I had high hopes for this race as my legs were feeling great all week. I was also just getting over a cold so I was hoping it wouldnt hold me back. 


 I had trouble clipping in at the start, so I started at the back. Then a few laps in there was a huge pile up just before the lap finish. I came to a stop to try and avoid it. Spent ~4laps (about 8mins) maxed out trying to catch back on. Finally got back on and tried to recover. The whole race was me catching back on then getting pushed back due to a crash or flat. My pack riding skills need a lot of work. I was able to get to the front towards the end but ended up dropping right back (perhaps I was being to cautious with my energy). In the last lap I had to slow down to avoid two crashes, one flat, and had to hop a curb to get past some guys slowing down that were cutting me off. I ended up finishing back behind the lead guys by almost half a minute.


For the next race I need to ride more aggressively, and trust my legs. I need to be at the front or near the front. I know I have the speed and power to win a race, I just need to ride smarter. The only good thing that came from the race was that I did not crash. Also I am now ranked 9th in the Elite 4 division of the Ontario Cup.


I have next weekend off, and Im racing next at holland marsh challenge. After that I get to show the boys my speed at the the bike the bruce TT !


Here are some links if your interested. The first being the race results, the second my garmin page. 
http://www.ontariocycling.org/web_pages/results/20120702-112443-chinresults.htm
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/194611833