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Race The Training Thread

Just arrived at the the venue for tomorrow's CX race in Nagano. 1500m up on the Venus Line!

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A couple of beers should help me sleep in the back of the car!

I did a really easy week this week with two race simulation sessions.

The weekly training blog here:



I also did an emergency tyre switch today as the typhoon hit:



I'm currently having some tubular CX wheels built, so I plan to have a few sets of wheels with different tyre set ups for the CX season.

Time to get dirty!

Andy
 
Good luck for your race!
I'll start my training for the 2021 season today. Well, I have started last week. I'll do a second ramp test today, because I feel like I should have done a workout to get back into the groove. My cadence was quite low.

My goals for 2021: more endurance, i. e. hold high power for longer, and more snap. These might go in different directions, but I'll try to make it work. It really feels good to be back on the trainer. Plus, the purchase of my dream bike is on the horizon. I know exactly what I want, and I'll learn quite soon how much that'll set me back. But that should be good for the next 8 years or so 🙃
 
I held on for two of three laps but popped on the last long hill at the start of the last lap.

I did increase my best 30 second power by about 125 watts and my one-minute power by 25 or so (although the longest climb is less than a minute), though, and apparently did 310 NP for the ~42 minute race, which is funny because it was pretty easy except for the climbs and last lap

Finished 33rd out of 54 that finished (out of a field of 63), but actually getting to ride near the front for most of the race is basically a win for me...

This was the first time road racing felt like more fun than mere suffering. I wish there were races with courses like this... can't imagine doing it for three times as many laps, though!
 
Congrats! I'm not surprised you did this well, your power numbers are quite respectable and especially in the flats most of your competitors have to work a lot harder.
 
Today's race brought back teenage memories of trying to ride an old steel Diamondback mountain bike over the thick mud and slippery rocks of the Pennine Way! Cyclocross is so much fun!

The usual blog link and cut and paste below.

Cheers, Andy



「shirakabako cyclocross race report」

the shirakabako cyclocross race today
the first cyclocross race this season
my third cyclocross race so far

last year I rode the masters 「M」category

this year I will ride the general 「C」category
the plan is to move to up to the top category C1 as soon as possible

my TT results last year allow me to leap frog C4 and start in C3

let's try and win this race and move up to C2 then!

my 3rd ever CX race
the first on mud
it reminds me of the moors back home

thick mud and rocky streams
the ski slope is a great location for a bike race!

a walk through at 730
a test ride at 830

post typhoon
the soft mud churns up quickly!

a 1020 start
locked in the grid
2nd row
good position

3,2,1 GO!

in cyclocross a fast start is paramount
my gear is too light
and I'm going backwards

last place before I know it!

I have to work my way through the field then

a few crashes slow me down
a few of my own too

but in cyclocross it's all about momentum
run if you have to
just keep it going!

C3 races are 30 minutes
30 minutes on the limit
a good taper means I can do it
lock onto LTHR

30 minutes on this course means 4 laps

I pass riders where my strength can be used
the gravel section is a dream!

Imezi's Andrew gives me shouts
"14th! 10th! 6th!"

by the line?
"2nd!"

in a race of 20 starters
2nd would be automatic promotion to C2

today's starters?
19!
nnnn nineteen!

a good result though
and confidence to try to win the next race in two week's time

my kind of course apparently!

here we go!

#imezi #imezi167 #167grv #imezisealant #プロジェクト167
 
Congrats! I'm not surprised you did this well, your power numbers are quite respectable and especially in the flats most of your competitors have to work a lot harder.

In hindsight I should have spent a bit more energy working to the front (I was maybe 15-20 riders back?) so I could get to the top of the hill just a few meters closer to the back of the group. It would have been a trivial amount of work. I probably could have even gone off the front to gain a bit more leeway.

I tried telling myself I am a sprinter, but given the uphill finish it would actually have been better to break free on the flat before the last climb.
 
In hindsight I should have spent a bit more energy working to the front (I was maybe 15-20 riders back?) so I could get to the top of the hill just a few meters closer to the back of the group. It would have been a trivial amount of work. I probably could have even gone off the front to gain a bit more leeway.
This is what I wanted to work on this year, too. I'm glad you got so much out of the race, efficiency is really important.
I tried telling myself I am a sprinter, but given the uphill finish it would actually have been better to break free on the flat before the last climb.
Yeah, uphill finishes are not in our favor, but still fun.
 
So C2 is equivalent to E1 and C1 is equivalent to the Pro field?

Maybe @GrantT is better suited to answer as he is riding E1 and C1.

Generally speaking, I guess there are less pro cyclocross guys around, so when one turns up it is an exciting experience for all the C1 guys.

In the JBCF you can get destroyed by Mancebo, like him or not, every weekend!

Andy
 
@andywood Nice work on the podium. Shame about missing promotion but doesn't look too far off.

@OreoCookie I'd say the UCI Elite races and JCX (Japanese CX) series races are nearest to P level. A decent group of pros will be there along with P-level road riders, try-hard amateurs and more. A level below are "local" C1 races that a few pros sometimes turn up for but are mainly amateurs, so a bit like E1. After that it's all a bit wishy washy. Anyone in C1 can actually compete in UCI Elite or JCX series races, but even finishing the race without getting flagged out is an achievement.

Edit: In a normal year journeymen and women from NZ, Australia the US and Europe will also turn up for some of UCI Elite races.
 
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I looked over the data from Sunday's race.

I think it was a solid effort. But after building a big base, I want to work on
my short term power/speed and short term recovery.

I wrote a blig with pictures here and the usual cut and paste below.

Cheers, Andy



「shirakabako CX data analysis」
if you asked me for my rider profile?
I would say I am a steady state rider
a slow starter...
but I can keep the pace till the end
at the C3 level, CX races are 30 minutes long
on paper this is a 30 minute TT
the heart rate curve is similar to a 30 minute TT too
quick to rise to threshold
and then a steady effort increasing slightly all the way
164 / 167 / 169 / 173 HR
(full race: 168 HR av. 182 HR max)
in reality this curve is produced by a series of microbursts
specific training is important for this
in terms of HR zones
it was 30% zone 3
70% zone 4
of the 4 laps
lap 1 is the slowest
laps 2, 3 and 4 are consistent
・LAP 1 8:23(strava 7:47, 15.0kph, 164HR)
・LAP 2 8:04 (strava 7:38, 15.3kph, 167HR)
・LAP 3 8:03 (strava 7:41, 15.2kph, 169HR)
・LAP 4 8:10 (strava 7:47, 15kph, 173HR)
cadence is low at 70rpm
maybe this is due to the need for traction in muddy conditions?
again specific training is important for this
the next CX race is in two weeks time
not much you can do in two weeks
but
work on a fast start
some short intervals
and rest up again
ibaraki here we come!
 
Regarding your cadence, I have never ridden a CX bike, but on a mountain bike in slippery conditions or on a technically challenging climb you want to ride at a lower cadence. In a lower, easier gear, it is very easy to mash your pedals and loose traction. I reckon this is the same on CX bikes, but I am not speaking from experience here.
 
Regarding your cadence, I have never ridden a CX bike, but on a mountain bike in slippery conditions or on a technically challenging climb you want to ride at a lower cadence. In a lower, easier gear, it is very easy to mash your pedals and loose traction. I reckon this is the same on CX bikes, but I am not speaking from experience here.

For sure you want to go with a low cadence to get more traction.

I've been doing SFR recently, 20 minutes climbing at 50 to 60 rpm. Good on the bike strength training and also teaches you how to get the most out of your pedal stroke.

Andy
 
I've been doing SFR recently, 20 minutes climbing at 50 to 60 rpm. Good on the bike strength training and also teaches you how to get the most out of your pedal stroke.
I did some low-cadence drills on the trainer today. But I am limited by my gearing and my trainer's resistance curve, I can only get down to 60 rpm and hit my power targets. But it felt good anyway (3 x 12 minutes of sweet spot at 85 % FTP, a really easy workout).
 
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