Balance Point's debut @ Spring Series 2011

[StephenU]

Ok so no one else is starting this and I am sure there are some stories of up's and downs regarding the super suffer fest that happened in the rain and cold on the coast this past weekend.  There were alot of us there so there has to be reports, good and bad!!  it is our duty to report what happened.    
I will get it going then:
Saturday - Was feeling ok but cold the first 30 minutes of the race.  right away, you were soaked so that was not the problem...  hands were cold, so cold I could not feel my fingers.  My heart rate was super low sitting in the pack and I was not warming up so I decided to move to the front and do some work..  Soon enough, a rider went off the front so I followed along with another younger rider.  we traded pulls for a couple of laps out there...  We all decided to stop as the pack was not letting us get to far.  This effort told me I had good legs was fully warmed up now.  I was wearing my my HR monitor, but it was on my wrist which is a pretty much useless place to have it while riding because you cannot look at it to easily..  So basically I just ignored that biomarker!  Actually, sorry to say, I ignored all biomarkers up to this point and this makes me a bad BPR rider that day!!  With 3 laps to go and around 20 km's I told Matt I was going to give it one more super hard accellaration on the front.  This time I found myself 30 seconds in front of the pack, alone...  this wasn't the plan, but I put my head down and hammered my brains out into the wind and rain...  ok, I rode to the limit of 24-26 resp. rate carefull not to switch to a higher rate, so I am thinking right over balance point.  I nearly made it the line, but was swallowed up wth 50 meters to go.  Most intense disappointment I have ever felt on a bike.

Sunday - Armstrong Hill
I was kind of feeling a little flat today, legs where definately tired from the previous days effort.  I did not have the pop or accellaration in them I normally do.  Simon suggested to me that I bridge up to a lone breakaway rider but I decided not too.  I thought it was too early and also I was not sure I had the power today.  In hindsite, Simon was right, because that dude was a beast and we all let him go.  If I had bridged, it may have caused the pack to chase super hard. So i made the decision to ride conservatively and let my teammates dictate the pace on the hill and flats before the hill..   this was great, as I could sit in and be right at the front when the climb started.  I did not have to use any excess energy to gain positions on the climb, just match the tempo for the first 7 or 8 laps.  the field was whittling down, likely due to the occassional accellaration that some of us where doing on the climb.  Still, no one wanted to chase the lone breakaway rider down and I was very dissappointed in this racing tactic by Escape Velocity.  they had 3 or 4 pretty strong guys that could have helped me in the chase.  One of them even told me he was content to race for 2nd place.  Brutal!
So then I was resigned to the fact it would be an all out sprint up Armstrong hill for 2nd place.  I was smarter this year and let another rider lead me all the way up the climb and up onto the false flat.  I started to go around him with 50 meters to go and then my breakaway companion from yesterday, went around me to take 2nd..  I was relegated to 3rd.  Oh well!  Best the Quail to do!!  Thanks teammates for making me feel protected, all I had to do was conserve on the climb.
It was a struggle to get my HR to balance point today and attribute this to my tired legs from Day 1.  My HR was BP -5 on most of the 11 laps up hill..  the rest of the course was recovery.  I know it was not resp weakness as I did a mini spiro test Saturday night and I was 100% capable with the Spiro tiger for 5 mins.  Normal #'s

Next!!

[Matt]

The Quail was right; the weekend was wet, cold, windy and miserable – perfect weather for the Spring Series.  It was a suffer fest, and I’m looking forward to the next one already!

Day 1

My goal for day one was to sit in and be there for a sprint finish.  The main biomarker I tried to pay attention to was my respiratory rate.  Nutritionally, I had 2 bottles with eLoad Endurance – this has worked well in training to deal with some cramping issues I’ve had in the past.  I also paid more attention to my cadence in an effort to minimize cramping.

During the first part of the race I followed Simon’s wheel to the front.  I had no problem staying warm despite the cold wet weather.  It turned out that I road on the front a little too much, I should have sat in a bit more.  For most of the race my HR was balance point minus 10 to plus 5.  I wasn’t able to count my respiratory rate because it was impossible to read my computer with the rain.  I am guessing it was in the low to mid 30’s for most of the race.  After Steve made his last effort at 20kms to go my legs started to cramp up.  My respiratory rate was a bit high, but felt sustainable, and my HR was in line, however my legs were shutting down.  I looked down and realized I had only drunk ¾ of one bottle, which meant I only ingested half the electrolytes I had planned for the race.  I drank as much as I could from that point on, but I only recovered marginally by the end of the race.  I put myself in perfect position with about 2k to go, and had to watch everyone ride away and catch the Quail in the final sprint.  Super Frustrating!

Day 2

Understanding why I had cramped, I was determined not to have the same issue on day 2.  It is difficult to drink a lot of water when you are wet and cold because you don’t feel like it, and often your hands don’t work well either.  I decided to pack all my electrolytes into one bottle – that way I knew I could finish the whole bottle by the end of the race.  Day 2 had a steep hill that featured 11 times, so I wasn’t sure I would be there at the end.  I decided to use the race as a test for cramping.  I would ride as aggressively as possible for as long as possible to see if I would cramp, even if it meant I wasn’t there at the end.  I did notice that by standing while climbing my respiratory rate increased to the point of losing control.  This forced me to stay seated on the hill, and use the same position on the bike all race long – often something that increases the likelihood of cramping in my case. 

I only survived 8 of the 11 laps with the lead group, but I did succeed in riding as hard as possible and did not cramp – I just got dropped!  Executing my nutritional plan with eLoad paid off.  My legs felt good right from the start, but by the end of the race I noticed that despite my best efforts I couldn’t get my Heart Rate to LBP.  My respiratory system definitely felt fatigued, but I wasn’t able to get an accurate count to see what my RR was.  I am guessing that my respiratory system was the main contributor for me blowing up as my legs felt fine after the race, and the following day they felt mostly recovered.  I did a step test the following day on the Spiro to gauge the level of fatigue, and confirmed that I was still totally fried!  I would love to be able to test my Cardiac System to see how it responded to the weekend….

[SimonC]

Great report Quail ...
My weekend did not go as stellar as the Quail’s did.
I did the B race with Quail, Horn and Dave on Sat. I knew I was in trouble at the registration table when I started shaking/shivering. This lasted for quite a while until I got back to the car to change. In retrospect, I was definitely under dressed. While sitting at the line I was still shivering. When we started racing I immediately went to the front and noticed I had a serious lack of power and my HR was in the 50’s and 60’s (as compared to 120-130 where it should be for that effort). As the laps went on and on I drifted to the back and was just hanging on. My HR was still at 60-80. I was starting to shake uncontrollably and it was affecting my bike handling. I pulled out on lap six. I was very disappointed. Beckster say she was debating on whether I should go to the hospital as I was violently shaking and couldn’t feel my extremities. Spring racing in Langley is fun !!! Post race I immediately head into Vancouver to purchase some more wet weather cycling gear as I did not want a repeat performance on Sun.

On Sun I lined up for the Armstrong RR. Sun was all about Quail and getting him into the right move. My clothing choice was much better on Sunday and I stayed relatively warm (thanks to leg warmers 3 sets of gloved and my BPR winter jacket from Champsys). I felt a little better on Sun and the HR was elevated, but was still really low (120-125). When the gun went off I went to the front and was ready to push the pace and go with any breaks. I HAMMERED up the first climb up Armstrong and strung everything out ... that was fun. For most of the race I tried to protect Steve and go with any breaks. It was a uneventful field and no one wanted to work or race. One American went off the front and it looked like the winning move. I suggested that Quail bridge but he was a little cooked ... as was I so we just let the American ride away. Lesson learned. I drove for as long as I could and got popped somewhere along the way. I held up for Schulzy and tried my best to pace her rest of the race. Again the power and speed were not there at this race.
I was quite disappointed about the weekend. Early season races are critical as measuring sticks to gauge fitness levels. I was off the mark last weekend. I will probably have to punch a few babies to get thru this but I will come out the other side ready to battle once more. I will be closely looking at my training plan and adjusting as needed to make sure that I am on track for Utah.
I am formally demoting myself to Swabby until my fitness is raised to the Captain Level.

Thanks for reading.

Swabby

PS ... Horn and Dave also rode quite well the whole weekend ... congrats gents. Also the ladies also put on a clinic as well (Super G, TS, Schulzy, MN)

[IanC]

You guys are hardcore!!  I can't fathom riding in such miserable conditions when the skiing is so good.  Way to go!!  This is the stuff that makes you tough!

[GinnySellars]

Here's a brief race report from my perspective. I came into this weekend really under-committed. I was sick from Sat to Wed, and definitely not trained for a bike race. My only hard efforts have been on Thursday nights. My training goals have been more about getting over injury, and building some endurance. My goals for the weekend were:
- support and enjoy spending time with the BPR women
- learn from the more experienced girls about where and how to ride
- not give up

I rode with C group, a mix of guys and girls. It became clear really quickly that none of few of the men had much race experience. Every one wanted to simply stay with the group, with no intention of doing an organized attempt at getting away etc. There were constant efforts after the tight corners, but either due to fitness or commitment, never more than about 30 seconds of effort, then they settled back in. I just sat on. About 4-5 times I got caught too far back after a corner and did an ALL OUT dizzying effort to get back on. Shawn's husband Chris often got past me and dragged me back up. So that's exactly where I finished...just at the back of the first group. I learned a couple of things during this race. I need to know the course. Even after 7 laps, I didn't really know where I was, and what was behind each turn. I have to stay much more focussed, and constantly be making sure not to drift back in the pack. With that group it was about staying on, as I wasn't strong enough to make anything happen. I was pleased with how comfortable I got with water spewing in my face, and staying fairly tight in the pack. A highlight on Saturday was wondering who was pushing the pace on lap 3...turns out it was Monica!! She regretted it later, but I know why she did it...it was otherwise a pretty boring ride...she wanted something to happen! Hopefully I'll get fit enough work with you at some point Monica.

Sunday was repeats on Armstrong hill. I felt comfortable on the hill, and recovered well during and after the hill. I was severely lacking in wattage on the flats and in the wind. I couldn't stay on our girls if there was any gap coming out of a corner etc. I let gaps open when drafting with the men. Tanille was definitely doing the lion's share of the work, and could have bridged to the next group if she had a stronger team. The positive part is that I didn't feel super tired by the end. The negative part is that I couldn't help our women along the flats at all. It was super fun to ride with Tanille and Monica. Such a bummer then Jenny had mechanicals...

The highlight on Sunday was seeing Stephen bombing up the Armstrong hill, and the guys suffering behind him, then seeing Matt sticking to the back of this small group by lap 4 or 5. He expected to be dropped on the hills before then...

Thanks for a fun weekend gang.

[Matt]

Without a doubt the weekend was full of challenges, but ultimately it was a lot of fun, and a great learning experience for all involved.  Speaking of which......there are quite a few race reports that I haven't seen, that I'd love to read....
Don't be shy!
Cheers
The Horn

[W Ellis]

StephenU, were sitting in the Seattle airport reading your race report, we really like your aggressive style. The Ellis brothers see your only limiter is your name!  (QUAIL) drop the weak bird ,and keep moveing up the food chain and attack those lower mainland turkeys sooner or later a Quail will beat the turkeys ....

[W Ellis]

We take it back stick with the Quail .......... "Quails are small, plump terrestrial birds. They are seed eaters but will also take insects and similar small prey. They nest on the ground and are capable of short, rapid bursts of flight. Some species such as the Japanese and Common Quail are migratory and fly for long distances.[2] [3] Some quail are farmed in large numbers. The Japanese Quail (or coturnix quail) is kept mostly to produce eggs."