Banff Bikefest

[Fehlmann]

Last weekend me and four other Pedalhead Road Works team members went to Banff to compete in the five stage Banff Bikefest.
Five days leading up to the race I caught a nasty cold, I tried everything to get it somewhat under control, so I can still compete in the race I have been waiting for since winter.

First stage was held Thurday evening which was a short 1.5km Prologue starting flat and finishing on an incline. My strategy was to basically hold back a bit on the flat part of the course and then as the incline starts to go full out. I finished the Prolouge in 24th position 16.5 seconds behind the leader. Oh, and I didn’t know I was going to need to use my brakes, but just after starting the incline to the finish an SUV actually managed to cut me off, even though couple of guys were screaming at him not to turn. Anyways, my time would have still been around the same, no excuse.

After a good night of sleep and lots of fluids we all met in Lake Louise for the second stage the 1A Sprint which was an 81km Road Race running through some awesome scenery parallel to Hwy #1. The race was fast paced and it basically came down to an uphill sprint were I managed to finish in 18th position.

Saturday morning started with the third stage a 21km hilly time trial race. I was really excited about this stage since it was the first time for me to race a time trial on a fully decked out TT bike. I will definitely need more practice and hints on approaching a time trial, since I do like to go out very hard and then pay the price later into the race. I managed to cover the 21km in 30min. 13sec. 52nd place, a long ways behind pro rider Ian McKissick who finished the TT in 26min.

The fourth stage was my favourite a criterium race downtown Banff full of action with a hairpin turn and lots of spectators cheering. The first five laps were super fast and somehow two riders still managed to pull away from the pack and about 5 laps to go they actually lapped the field. I ended up finishing in 26th place. I am satisfied with that result and was glad not to be involved in any of the crashes. After an hour at max effort my respiratory system was fried and me racing with a throat infection could barely swallow again.

Next morning I lined up for the last race which was a 143km road race with some of the best scenery and course terrain I have ever ridden. Unfortunately after riding one lap I had to abandon the race do to throat pain and was unable to get a general classification result.
Anyways, I am satisfied with my results and I am not blaming any of my results on my cold. I tried my best in all of the stages in the situation I was in. I will definitely be back next year for more. For now i will be resting until my cold is completely gone and i will not be able to participate in any of the National Road Championships in Edmonton this weekend.

Congrats to Jason Kilmartin for his overall results!

Banff Bikefest Results
http://www.banfflakelouise.com/events-and-festivals/festivals/bike-fest/results-communique

M.

[Andrew]

I think you are brave to have raced in the condition you were in, and it shows quite a lot about your character to not blame any poor performance on the infection. I can add that I think withdrawing from the final day was a smart decision, as you certainly have other events on the horizon. I know you will be VERY disappointed not to be able to race at Nationals, but again, this is likely the best decision you could make.

If you have seen the reports about Kirchen at the Tour de Suisse, you will understand my concern for your long term health and well-being, and why I am so happy that you see the value of rest and recovery after a difficult week of racing in Banff.

As your step test results begin to recover, you can do some VERY easy spin sessions to maintain coordination, and even some easy hikes in the trails to work on some technical MTB skills. But it is very important NOT to push your respiratory or cardiac system until you have completely recovered.

Again...fantastic work.

How was your fueling and hydration? Did you have any specific weakness that you thought should be addressed in the near future, and also in the longer term, other than the time-trialing? We have some very good riders here in Kelowna with similar issues, and I believe it is simply a lack of experience in the forward position which will recruit the leg muscles in a completely different pattern. So, really it is simply a matter of coordination training to help with this. Hopefully you will be able to make some time to work on this position over the following years. This actually might be a GREAT time to do some VERY easy TT position work, as you can work on the coordination even as you begin your recovery process. Even riding at 100 watts in proper position will help develop the needed coordination.

Enjoy the down time, and we will be looking forward to your return to health and strong riding for MTB nationals soon!

[SimonC]

Manuel did a great job describing all the stages at Bike Fest.
I was there also but didn't have a stellar showing in any of the races.
Everything seemed labored during the races ... I just didn't have it during the races.
My respiration, heart rate, coordination were all sub par and I just couldn't hit the high end that I am used to hitting. I was getting dropped on the smallest of climbs ... very disappointing and to be honest embarrassing.
The only highlight of the weekend was hanging on in the crit that was super technical.
If nothing else, this weekend was some great functional training and I can take a disappointing performance and use it to help me move forward and improve so that I can nail my A races.
As an aside ... I saw some huge HR's during the week and actually set a new max of 196 ... during the flat 1A sprint race 
I'm trying to recover, regroup and come back strong but the weekend left me a little disillusioned 
I'm looking forward to the Kal Rats sprint race this weeked. It's gonna go down ... I'll be bringing the sexy back 

S

[JasonK]

I started this race report last night and just noticed Manual posted his first so I apologize if some of it is repetitive.

Well, I finally got the chance to race with the big boys at the Banff Bike Fest.  The race was 5 stages over 4 days:  an uphill prologue, time trial, crit and two road races.  My plan was to finish each race with the group and not get dropped.  I also really wanted to ride in the front half of each race rather then riding off the back.

The prologue was 1.5km up hill.  I went as hard as I could but somehow feel that I'm still missing the top end power.

The 81km road race was very fast.  Less then 1km into the race the rider beside me went head first into the cattle guard crossing.  There seemed to be lots of sketchy moments as the pack had so much surging going on:  brake, almost hit the wheel in front of you, swear, sprint....brake, almost hit the wheel in front of you, swear, sprint….and so it went for most of the race.  It was an out and back course on Highway 1a from Lake Louise towards Banff, mostly flat with a few power climbs.  I tried to move up at times but always ended up right at the back.  The last couple km’s got hard.  Gaps were opening up on the last couple rollers but I managed to hang on and finish with the pack.

The TT was 21km long around Lake Minnewaka.  I didn’t have a TT bike or any TT gear so I rode with my forearms on the tops and punched the hills with the big ring as best as I could.  My time was slow but with a TT bike and more practice I think I could learn how to become a better time trialist. 

Later that evening close to 90 riders lined up for the downtown crit.  I love to race crits but this was the most nervous I had been before a race.  Simon was shaking his head when I showed him my heart rate of 125 while waiting to line up for the start.  The course didn’t seem that bad to me but did have a hair pin U turn.  I managed to get a good starting position but ended up near the back before we completed the first lap!  The first 4-5 laps were totally crazy.  The pace was wild and the corners were fast.  There were so many crashes.  I counted 4 alone on the hair pin corner.  When I finally started to recover I managed to move up quite a few spots but 2 riders ended up lapping the field and the motor pace bike was riding right beside me and I ended up slipping to the back again!!!  I finished the race with the pack without crashing so I was happy to have that one behind me.

The last stage was a 143km road race around Tunnel Mountain.  I would have to say this was the most technical course I have raced.  There were two solid climbs with some sharp fast descents.  Again I tried to ride close to the middle of the pack but each time we passed the start/finish line I was right at the back.  There were a few laps were the pace got a little crazy but I somehow managed to always hold the wheel in front of me.  I started taking sodium tablets on the start line and consumed a total of 2100mg by the end of the race.  I cramped up around lap 3 of 11 but somehow the cramping started to become more manageable around the 9th lap.  Normally I can never stand on climbs once the cramping starts but on the last two laps I was able to pound the pedals while riding out of the saddle.  Lucky for me, otherwise I would have definitely been dropped, especially on the last lap!

It was a real eye opening weekend for me.  Some of those guys are in such good shape.  I was just holding on for most of the weekend and never once got my face in the wind.  I couldn’t imagine riding off the front on the 5th stage!  I’ve been thinking lots about my future with road racing.  Balancing training with a full time job and family while trying to compete at a CAT 1/2 level is definitely a struggle.  I can accept the fact that I may never win races at the CAT 1/2 level but I cannot be satisfied riding at the back of every race!!! 

Thanks to everyone that has supported me to this level of racing and being able to finish the Banff Stage Race.

[Andrew]

I think everyone who has seen Jason progress over the past three years, while juggling a young baby, wonderful wife, and a new job will agree with me when I say that his accomplishments in Banff are quite astounding. Add to that the fact he only started racing bikes 3 years ago, and it becomes even harder to understand any negative feelings he may have regarding his performance.

So, I will dispense with the usual niceties and remind you of something that we stressed in EES Module #1...long term goal setting and the understanding of structural development. It is essential that we keep foremost in our minds at ALL times our long-term goals. It is only with this focus, and a continued passion for the sport we choose, that we can ever hope to enjoy the rewards of personal excellence. It is the passion for cycling, running, triathlon, skiing that has brought most of the BPR team together, and this continued enjoyment of the process that will ultimately lead to success at any level.

I have seen glimpses of it in some of our young riders, and in many of you who have recently joined the team. Perhaps we should change our motto from, "Live with balance. Race with passion" to "TRAIN WITH PASSION. RACE WITHOUT LIMITATION".

Each race has been an opportunity to learn and improve, and I believe that Jason and the others who raced in Banff and at the Test this week-end did just that.

[GinnySellars]

Simon, I wouldn't throw in the towel over 1 race!! You are a talented cyclist, with a history of excellent results. You rode a 2:20 1/2 Iron bike split, 93 km in Oliver. You are stinky fast and uber strong.

Something that may be new to you is the recovery time after a 1/2 Iron. It usually takes me 3 weeks to feel 'normal' and longer to feel race ready again. For an Ironman, I count on 7 weeks. Depending on what your weakest link is, it can take variable times for different systems to rebound. For me, the respiration and coordination take awhile. These are under-trained systems for me, and it shows up if I try and race within a few weeks.

If you want to win bike races you can. But you might not be able to do that between triathlon races, and big volume tri training. It has nothing to do with age or talent.

[Andrew]

Along with Ginny's words of wisdom, comes an invitation for those who want to explore more options in training optimization. Some of the Kelowna crew have been working with Chris do add respiratory training with Spiro-Tiger to their programs. We have done similar work intermittently with Joel, Peter and Mike in Vernon.

If we identify a specific weakness in testing, it is up to you as the athlete to determine whether you have the patience, commitment and time to work on that weakness.

There are at three Spiro units in Vernon (Joel/Jason/Andrew) that I know of. This means, any training session could have a respiratory component added to it, if you are willing to train with one of those athletes, and purchase a $200 user set, to maintain your own clean equipment.

If instead, you would prefer to invest in your personal long-term development, then you can purchase your own unit for under $1,000. That is less than the price of a good disc wheel, and gives you an opportunity to continue to develop that which is holding you back, rather than trying to buy speed without developing the weakness. One is a short term fix, the other is a commitment to fixing the problem.

If the concern is with coordination, then I believe an investment in Power Cranks is worth considering, even if only to borrow a set from Joel, Chris or Andrew for a few months before paying for a new set.

So, yes, I believe there are ALWAYS ways to improve training, while not necessarily needing more time to train. And that is why the motto will remain..."Live with balance. Race with passion".

[JasonK]

Couple more pictures and video from Banff!

CRIT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hav0H-ZYLFs

RR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqpECQHfisQ

[Fehlmann]

The colder weather in Banff during the Banff Bikefest made it a bit easier for me to stay hydrated. A couple of water bottles one filled with pure water the other with e-mend/e-fly and a banana is all I used and needed for the 1A 80km sprint road race. For the Crit race I was only able to sip once or twice on some water since you had to be fully concentrated and couldn’t really take your hands off the bars, which would explain my dry sore throat at the end.
I believe controlled breathing above my LBP is still my biggest weakness and I do have a spiro tiger to work on this weakness.
I took a few days off training now to get my cold under control, I still have a slight cough but it’s time again to start training to prepare for my shorter high intensity Mtn bike races. My next race will be the Edmonton Canada Cup July 11 followed by the Nationals in beautiful Canmore.

M.