Salmon Arm Masters TT 2011

[MartinC]

Hey All, quick note on the Masters TT last weekend in SA.
Great to see Simon and Becky there flying the BP flag. Everyone looked awesome in their team gear. The event started at 3.00pm on an out and back course. The wind had been getting stronger and stronger all day and it set up so that the out was into the wind and slightly uphill.
My goals for the race were fairly low. First to get the feel for what a TT of this length felt like and some idea of the pacing I could endure, secondly to re-acquaint myself with how my TT bike felt and finally to try and shake out some jet lag, having spent 22 hours in transit from France landing in Kelowna on Saturday night.
First bike set up, my fit felt good, despite having ridden this bike once all year, I felt comfortable and powerful through out the race. There were a few aero tweaks with water bottle cages I did not have time to make which may have cost me some time but otherwise it was a testament to the set up Chris had done for me for triathlon last year. (Given there is no running necessary, maybe the front end could be dropped and hip angle tightened?) I think my biggest mistake was not having time to get a computer fitted so I could watch my distance and time. I did the event purely on HR.
Having done a BP test with Chris prior to my trip away I decided to head out at around BP and then push harder on the return. I got a reasonable 20 minutes warm up in on the trainer ramping up slowly to race pace, although could have used about another 10 minutes.
We were sent off with one minute gaps and being late to get there I was one of the last to start. Settled in to my rhythm and felt good early on, mostly long straight roads initially with headwinds and occaisional crosswinds which were really gusty. Handling was a bit of a challenge as I was running a deep front and disc combination at times but only briefly and I was happy with that combination for the race.
I kept what felt like a relatively high cadence and was able to maintain a relatively steady HR all the way to the turn around, passing a couple of the riders who had started in front, including Becky who was handling the tricky winds really well keeping a steady line, but mostly chasing my minute man who I was slowly catching. I saw Simon briefly as he passed by in the opposite direction looking extremely powerful (and making me wonder if my cadence was too high!)
It took me about 34 minutes to the turn around. From there, with the wind behind me and more slight downhill than up I geared down and decided to push my HR up 5 beats for the trip home. The ride back was great fun, it felt good not to have the wind to push against and I was visibly catching my minute man.
Physically, my breathing was controlled and I was able to concentrate on relaxing my diapraghm. My HR was hovering about 4-5 beats above BP until I got within about 100M of my minute man and accelerated to 8-10 above to pass emphatically. this effort was the first time I started to lose control of my physiological markers. Once the pass was done I had to back down fractionally. There was some leg fatigue at this point but mostly my neck and ass were sore from the extended time in TT position!
Before I really was conscious of it I turned a corner and the finish was right there, 150M for a bit of a sprint and that was it. 24 minutes and change on the way back. Final time 58.47, 14 seconds behind the Captain. Good for first in my AG and 6th fastest actual time overall.
As far as goals, definitely good for shaking out jetlag! (I slept like a baby that night). Pacing: Probably left a bit on the table due to unfamiliarity with course and no track of distance, had I known distance left I would have ramped it up a bit at the end and pushed some bigger gears but pleased with energy management into the wind. Bike set up - generally great but need to get hydration setup ironed out for Grand Forks TTT (84K) in two weeks and spend some more time in TT position. Finally, eating croissants, bread and cheese and drinking wine everyday is probably responsible for the extra 2kg I am dragging around............need to work on that!
Congratulations to Simon and Becky on great times especially with the training run load they have in their legs. Especially Simon as he backed up for the RR the next day when I wimped out. (my bike was still in bits from the trip and I ended up sleeping instead of putting it together for the race.............yes I know, weak excuse.)

[GinnySellars]

Thanks for the report Martin! Wow, you are super keen heading straight from the airport to the TT. That is a really strong time too. Anything under an hour is awesome, even without the headwinds.

Thought: When the race is under an hour (and when your goals change from checking out the TT position to full on race), don't you think you could work above BP virtually the whole time, or over/under throughout?

[kiwichris]

Great post Martin and shows the level of understanding you have gained over the last couple of years.
I think the plan was good considering you did not really know how your body was going to respond with the travel you completed prior to racing - it is not uncommon to see LBP HR's lower when changing timezones to that degree due to fatigue etc.... you could have used respiratory rate, along with cadence as your guide to capture a true mark of how your physiology was responding on that given day. Remember - HR is only one variable in our arsenal of tools to gauge intensity.

Great work mate and would love to see you rip it up at the provincials on your rocket ship.

Chris

[MartinC]

Hey guys thanks for advice.
Re: racing above LBP. My BP has shifted upward 10 beats this year as I focused more on high end, so compared to last year I was almost 12 above for race. Average HR for race ended up above BP by a coupler of beats anyway.
I agree with you though that when I do this again I should hammer a little harder and see where I blow up. Don't know if I will find another 40K TT though...... ;-(

[SimonC]

Just a quick note to let the rest of the team know about last weekend’s Salmon Arm  40 KM TT and Vernon Road Race. As some know I have been focussing on IMC 100%. My main focus has been concentrating on the run as it has been a limiter to my overall performance (along with the swim and bike ...  ).

I have put in serious hours over the past few weeks which hast left the Captain a little worse for wear. I decided to do the TT/RR to represent BPR in the local race and  test how my cycling has been affected by a ramped up schedule.

Salmon Arm TT

The conditions were less than stellar ... Hot and REALLY WINDY (40km/hr headwinds). To make things worse ... I decided to use my most aero set up (Token Disc and T55 – 80 mm Deep Dish Wheel) ... What is the worst that can happen  

The course was an out and back with the headwind  on the way out. I started off conservatively and kept the HR at BP. Respiration was good and I was clocking 50 km/hr ... all was good. I turned the first corner and almost was blown off the bike by a SERIOUS cross wind. I had to actually get out of Aero and ride the bars ... I wasn’t doing 50 km/hr anymore. From this point on I was in and out of aero as the conditions dictated and held on for dear life. Tried to be as aero as possible and maintain BP +5.

At the turn around, my goal was to go BP + 10-15 and bring it home. I could only muster +10 but kept a decent pace all the way back. I tried to stay as aero as I could while maintaining good cadence and respiration. With a couple of IM’s under my belt now, 40 KM’s in aero was no problem ... which is cool cuz I remember pre IM racing how sore I would get staying in aero for 40 Km’s  

In the end I went 58:33 and was 4th overall. Slower than I had planned but relatively a good result.

Was awesome to Martin racing and he obviously has kept his form up as he really laid it down ... Great work. Also a big hug to Becky for throwing down a great effort. I was worried about her as I set her up full aero ... obviously I need to worry more about myself cuz her bike handling skills are truly amazing considering her vintage in the sport ... Don’t believe me ... descend Silverstar with her   Also ... was good to see my buddy Sean Williams kick it in the TT ... Altho I beat him   ... he would get his revenge in the RR.

Vernon Road Race

The road race was out at St Anne’s Road with 4 ascents of the St Anne’s Hill (which is 2kms at 6-8 %).  I was a little cooked at the start of the race and my only goal was to hang on and save everything for the final push.

The first lap was VERY fast and the climb was insane ... I just tried to relax ... maintain cadence / speed ... and not panic. I was definitely over BP and respiration was under control.  I was able to hang on to the main group and settled in for another 3 ascents up the hill. Each ascent was just as tough and attrition was working her magic as it was getting pretty lonely in the front group. On the final climb I think there were only 5 guys left in the main group. I hung on for as long as I could but Sean and a KC got a bit of a gap and that was it. I rolled in content that I was there at the end.

We were never able to reel in Tom Stewart (big surprise ... he did have a bit of a head start  ) Kudos to Sean Williams for shredding me on the final push ... and Kudos to Tom for taking the overall win ... Again ... Big Surprise. An extra special Kudo to Becky for tuffing out this hilly race with chronic back pain ... That is one tuff chick !!!!!

I guess this note wasn’t so quick ... but there you have it ... Tx for reading !!!

Capt’n Out
 

[GinnySellars]

Well, I hear that you have made a swim breakthrough in recent weeks, so now I won't even get a glimpse of you charging past me on the bike. This will likely be a very good things, so you don't over-blast the bike at the beginning, and make sure you get all topped up with fluids. Sounds like you are ready to roll it out. 3.5 weeks to unleash the Captain.

[Andrew]

It was exciting for me to read the positive race reports form both of you.

Martin, after a year of injuries and prolonged vacations has shown how is strong focus on biking through the winter has maintained his impressive power. It is a shame he can not use these skills for his assault on the Apple at the end of the month due to his shoulder injury.It would have been fun to see him put down a sub one hour TT in a triathlon this summer. The ability to ride as fast as you did into a headwind while maintaining HR at LBP shows great control and patience. The cadence question could be answered with some specific work in the lab with Chris to see how a slower pedal stroke changes the physiologic biomarkers that we are able to measure. Certainly, if the plan is to run afterwards, a higher cadence will allow for a slightly better "feel". When the event is a pure TT, you MAY find improved power with slower cadence, but it could come at a price with altered cardiac dynamics etc. Sure would be fun to try to find the BEST cadence for you before the next TT in Grand Forks.

Simon...very impressive. Both the results in the TT and on the road. I remember seeing your very aggressive TT position, which certainly might have benefitted in cutting through the strong winds, but likely added to the challenge of controlling that disc wheel. I wonder if a more stable platform, and simple deep dish rear wheel would have resulted in a faster time. I am really glad to hear you are more comfortable over the 40km, with the increased flexibility you have obviously worked on. Like Ginny, I can't wait to see you put together a greta race at IMC in a few weeks time. Still waiting for you to stop by for another open water session...this time, there is bound to be less waves than the monsoon we went out in last time.

I noticed Tom's strong performance in the RR, and I am sure skipping the TT on Sunday helped him feel strong all day. Add that to his great prep for Transalp, and it is simply unfair to give him the head start that is offered in the Masters format of the Aussie pursuit.