Provincial Masters ITT

This race has been added to the ABA Calendar! It is scheduled for September 4th in Edmonton. I just might be back on the bike for this!

Report from Banff

First thing - keep the tires on the road. Glenn and I failed to make the start after our crashes this week. However there were several Crankmasters who did us proud. First a big effort by Ron in 33 min for Cat 5 12th, just missing the top 10. Not too far behind was Micheal in 18th. The team was backed up by solid efforts from Bob, Jacek and Brian. You'll have to get details direct from the boys themselves. I missed the whole thing as I'm housebound until my arm heals.

Final Preparation

The work out this week is easy - 7.5 km TT at race pace. Do this twice this week on your TT bike, warm up like you plan to for the race and do a full cool down ride. I suggest Tuesday and Thursday, and sorry, you should skip the WNS this week. Perhaps volunteer for this one. You should ride all other days, but keep it in the small ring. If you have been hitting the gym, skip it this week.

I expect we will race early on Saturday so let's plan on late brunch in town. If start times are published this week I will distribute to the team. If you haven't already email me via the president's link on the website to let me know you are racing.

Get lots of sleep and save the alcohol for the post race celebration!

That is all.

Last Hard Week

You should be rounding into form now. If you haven't made it to Banff yet to pre-ride the course do it this week. Crazy amount of daylight so an evening trip is very doable.

The workout this week is 20km race pace. Essentially duplicate the effort that will be required for the race. It is the effort and time that is important, not the bike or the course so much. Even if it is your mountain bike on your trainer, bang out this workout twice this week. Start fresh, like you would normally warm up, an even effort, no power drop over the last kms.

Pre-Ride TT Course - Report

After the Crankmasters Ride along the Bow Valley Parkway we hit Banff to pre-ride the TT course. Here is my take:
0-5km - start steady, get aero, smooth cadence, find your rhythm.
5km - very steep hill, get on the horns, out of the saddle, and pound your way up. I don't think sitting down is an option.
6km - after a false flat, 2nd not quite as steep hill, but who are you? I think a cardio beast should spin up, but a pedal masher should be out of the saddle again.
to 12km - there is a slight dip to let you recover, then flat, you should be just short of redlining here.
12km - last kicker hill over left abutment, which is why you didn't redline into it.
to 13km - flat across the dam, probably fighting a wind, so all those core/neck exercises pay off here. Normally I wouldn't say this, but the "finish" line is here. I expect the split times at 13km will pretty nearly predict the race order.
to 21km finish - mostly downhill with only 2 little risers. They will be more annoying than consequential. At race speed you should be able to make a quick power pop to get you over the top, then back to aero to the finish.

This week's workouts - I'm going to repeat last week's workout early in the week, then, and this is unusual, late in the week I'm going to do hill repeats on my TT bike.

The WNS race this week is a TT, but don't use it to replace one of your workouts. It is too short and too fast. I'm going to do it, but view it as a form check for fast downhill riding, not a workout that will build race fitness.

Also - our Sunday Ride from Longview will include plenty of hills, although I don't advise doing it on your TT bike.

The Springbank race was telling.

How were those hills for you?

You should now be in a groove for your TT. This week the workout will shorten the recovery between intervals. Do this training ride twice this week - 2 x 10km at your TT pace, BUT only recover for 5 minutes between intervals. Again, make sure you are holding your pace for the entire 10km.

Our Sunday ride this week is from Banff to Lake Louise and return. After the ride I will be scouting the Banff TT course if you would like to join me.

PS - weather looks iffy this week. Don't let up, get your work outs done on the trainer if need be. We cannot afford any let up at this stage.

If you weren't blown off your bike, you are getting stronger

Since it took so long to get decent riding weather I'll put up with some wind. I hope you are all getting the kinks worked out of your TT set up and bike. Thanks to Brian for the loner disc wheel.

The work outs are the same as the past two weeks, but extending to 10km intervals. Keep pushing through those last few kms. That is what you will have to deal with in Banff. Fight to stay relaxed, if that makes any sense, to keep your pedal stroke smooth.

The WNS is another great chance to test your TT skills and it can replace one of your work outs this week. It is also a lot of fun since it will be a "2 up" (weather allowing, if wet it may be a conventional TT).

Last thing - don't let your fitness or diet slip this May long weekend. Keep your bike nearby and nip out for a ride each day. Eat to enjoy, meaning eat for taste not volume.

Now you know where you are at!

How was the WNS TT for you? Some potential lessons are your position and your early season fitness. First, how aero are you? On a windy night like that the importance of position is demonstrated when a whippet (Brian) beats a power meter (Ron). You can't change your body in 6 weeks but if you were thinking of tinkering with your position do it now. Myself, I finally narrowed my arm rests a bit. Awkward at first but that is what training is for. Second, are you rounding into form or lacking base? If you were pedalling squares before turning off H1A then you still need lots of time in the saddle at high cadence. Don't jump too early to leg crushing power drills, you probably aren't ready. Third, some of you guys are rocking it early! I believe Brad would give props to Trev's spin classes for what he laid down last week. So if the engine is already tuned, how did that last hill climb go for you? I started OK, but got ripped by that sunken eyed assassin Harley Borlee. As the hill flattened I tried to hold on, but jumped too quickly up the gears and got bogged down. There will be hills in Banff, so spend some time on your TT bike on hills, what is the correct gear for you and when do you grab the horns and stand on the pedals?

This week's drill, same as last week, but increase the interval from 5 km to 7.5 km. If you race in Priddis on Wednesday do the second session on Friday.

The countdown to Banff has begun

It is now 7 weeks to the Banff ITT. I will be posting workouts each week roughly based on Chris Carmichael's "7 week TT program", so check back each weekend. The first thing you need to know for this week is the WNS kicks off May 4 with a great TT in the NW. So check out that blog and show up for the race. The course is 16km and with finishing hills that will be similar to Banff. Plan on being on the small ring in the final stretches. This is a great early season fitness test and will provide you a gauge to set a goal time for Banff. The second key workout for the week is a TT simulation, 2x5km at goal race pace, with 5 min recovery interval. Do this Friday or Saturday. Myself, I will keep it on the flats for the first week. Get your TT bike out, clean it, lube it, tweak your position now if you have doubts from last season. Early June is not the time to make changes. During these first workouts focus on your form, keep it aero, head up and smooth pedaling.

Crankmasters Social Night at Pedalhead

April 23 at 6:30pm.

If you are missing any aero gear come out and see what they have at Pedalhead. I know it has been a miserable spring but we will start riding in earnest soon. We should ride both Good Friday and Saturday so this can be the kick off weekend to your road training (as opposed to trainer training). Keep an eye on this blog as I will be posting TT specific training sessions starting the first week of May, focusing on getting ready for the TT in Banff on June 18 (registration is now available by the way).

Target Races for 2011

The C4 Racing Team is going to target the Banff ITT (June 18) and the Provincial Championship ITT (August 6) this year so mark those dates and have your aero gear ready. Keep an eye on the blog as I will announce key prep races (first WNS should be good) and training (probable exploitation of Monday night rides) to get us all ready. For now, high cadence base riding and keep the skinny tires inside on the trainer. We don't need an early season crash on the ice.

Speed Theory TT

We will be setting up Cyclepath tent so we can keep dry while warming up. Quite a few trainers and bikes will fit.

Look for the Cyclepath banners and C4 jackets.

Mark

Pigeon Lake RR - Cat5 Race Report

As a famous Jackie might have said, “It was a greet, greet dey fer’ bicycle racing.”

Sunny skies, temperatures in the mid teens and fairly light winds from the NW made the start of the day seem ideal. Children played in the nearby playground while the parking lot buzzed with the hum of the fluid trainers assembled row by row in the Speed Theory compound, who had 15 riders registered in Cat5 alone.

Crankmasters was represented in Cat5 by Chris Lee, Paul Broska and yours truly and hard-man Chris Stutz was going it alone in Cat3.

As the Cat5 field rolled out of Mulhurst I was struck by the heavy smell of fear that hung over the peleton. Perhaps it was just my own personal cloud of fear, being that it was my first ABA road race? None-the-less the group seemed a bit fidgety with a number of boys up front displaying their traffic cone soccer skills through the first few turns and some pretty aggressive surging on the roads leading out of town.

Out on the main course I was enjoying a nice view from the back of the main pack until we hit the first real hill at about the 10k mark when surprise, surprise… I got dropped. Try as I might I couldn’t catch back on. Fortunately Paul and Chris stayed with the main pack as I watched them fade off into the distance.

A few km later I found myself in a trailing group with Mark Shand, Andy Hill and Rui Reis from Speed Theory and Simon Spanswick from Headwinds out of Lethbridge. Rui dropped off towards the end of the first lap and the four of us “raced” the final circuit of the course practicing pace line work and trying not to let Mark get too far ahead of us going up the hills. I’m pretty sure Mark could have dropped us anytime he wanted to.

A big thank you goes out to Andy, who pulled me up the final rise towards the finish. I was done like dinner.

I placed 56 out of 56 finishers. Pretty happy that I didn’t crash, have a mechanical or choke to death on a Clif Shot Blok. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon all in all.

Chris Lee had a wicked day and finished with the lead group in 8th place at 01:46:33.00. Paul Broska finished 51st in 02:11:00.00 and yours truly brought the cat in several minutes later and the officials were generous enough to give me the same time. I’m not sure how Chris Stutz’s day went in Cat3.

There were no crashes that I’m aware of in Cat5 but a nasty high speed wreck took down a number of riders in Cat1/2 including Speed Theory’s Trev Williams. Glad to hear that Trev had no broken bones just broken bike parts, although the road rash sounds really, really awful. I wish him a speedy recovery.

Brian Beaulieu
C4 Cat5

Pigeon Lake Road Race - Sunday, May 31

Just wondering if any other C4 racers are planning to head up to Pigeon Lake on Sunday?

Please post your name and what category you are planning to race in. I'll be giving it a go in Cat5, hopefully not alone in what will undoubtedly be a thrashing sea of Speed Theory red and black. ;-)

Cheers,
Brian Beaulieu

This Upcoming Weekend

Two, count 'em, two big deals on this weekend. Speed Theory is hosting their inaugural dual-stage TT on Saturday and it looks like one of the neatest and best new races to appear on the calendar and it's right in our own backyard. Be there. Registration closes tomorrow and check http://www.speedtheorycyclingteam.blogspot.com/ for details. Sunday is our annual classic, the Stampede Road Race and will be as amazing as always. Registration closes Friday so get on there and get signed up.

Madden TT Results

Kudos to those that braved the weather threats of a cloudless sky, calm air, and rather pleasant day at the Madden TT yesterday. Now, the weather did resemble the inside of an Easy Bake (tm) oven with slightly more pickup trucks and the course was certainly a challenge being for the most part uphill both ways, it was an impressive sight to see the hammering that did go on. All of the riders chose to do it as an ITT and because the race volunteers are at times inherently lazy, we just started from the hall, to the Madden Hall and back for a 44.7 km distance. Life isn't meant to be easy. The course was brought to it's knees by Frank Woolstencroft though, who frothed his way to a 64:15 (41.7km/h) before donating one of his extra lungs to ants at the side of the road. Bob Richkum snuck out of his house in Golden, delicately avoiding yard work, and showed up to pound out a 77:41 (34.5 km/h) spanking the rest of the locals in the process. Brian Beaulieu, one of the hard men from the Wednesday Night Series stomped it to a 83:24 (32.2 km/h) but wouldn't have exactly known it because I'm not sure he wears a watch. Terry Kozlyk was served pretty much well done with a garnish of lung butter in 86:02 (31.2 km/h). And 'Just In Time" Charles Irwin hallucinated his way to 89:26 (30 km/h) after a warm up which consisted of putting his bike together. He did look chilly though, with the goosebumps and all.
Rockin' props to the volunteer crew of el Presidente Randy Szasz, Grant 'the registrar' Gilbert, and Francois Dion, driver of the Bat Mobile and turnaround marshal. Good job all and thanks to everybody for coming out.

Madden TT This Weekend

2up or ITT, if you're at all interested in TTs or this fall's TTT, give this race a try. For the experienced TT crowd, I have always found that the more TTs I ride, the smoother and faster I am. This Sunday, 11am, details on the Crankmaster's main site.

Banff Bike Fest Results

Congrats to those that braved the amazing scenery and hospitible conditions for the Banff Bike Fest TT and Crit. Patrick Brick and Chris Stutz raced in their cat 4 and 3 respective crits. Mark Perry finished a great fifth in the cat 5 TT and bagged some coin in the process. Jacek Kasprzyk finished 9th in the cat 5 TT and did the Crankmasters proud.
Next up is the Cloverlawn TT next Sunday and for some of us the Great White North Triathlon on July the 6th. As my TT bike looks to be terminally injured at Devon, I think I'm done with TTs for the season but am looking forward to mountain biking and other racing pursuits. We will have a WNS TT this week at the usual Priddis Meeting Spot (22 and 22x) which will be a hillier and harder TT but great for the legs.

Banff Bike Fest TT

Is anyone else doing the Banff race this weekend? I am going to attempt the TT since last weekend in Devon didn't go very well for me (see previous post).

Send me an email, if you are going to be out there, at mark.perry at shaw dot ca

Devon Grand Prix

Not many Crankmasters in effect but those that came gave it their best. However we were almost all beset by little annoying mechanical gremlins. Cat 5 saw Jacek Kasprzyk ride home in 8th place in the TT in 53:05. Mark Perry saw the finish line quickly in the TT but it was because he only rode about 4km before flatting and riding back with a borrowed wheel. Carolyn Soules had wheel related mechanical issues but rode to a 7th place in A/B in 54:01. I lost to the big baguette and another guy in the Cat 4 TT and was yet again bitten by a mechanical gremlin as my fork seems to have been coming apart. Honorary C4 Racer Lev Krivitsky rode to a 19th place finish in 51:53 despite a broken front brake the rubbed the entire time. That man has the power.
I started the crit along with Paqtrick Brick and despite our best efforts we were both eventually shelled off the back and out of the race.
I won't mention the street spints but lets just say that I sprint about as well as a rock flies.
Carolyn missed the split in the road race due to bad luck but rode home in a decent 11th and I think claimed the Womens B title. I bridged up to my break but didn't last long, never recovered, but did hook up with four other guys and rode a decent paceline back in to finish a couple of minutes down.
Overall, it was a great race, well organizede, and I'll be back next year. My kiddos had a firetruck ride, a parade of kids on bikes and lots of fun.