Strawbuger's Racing Log

[Strawburger]

Definitely like you foo! Looking back, some of my worst results have come after being rushed in warmup. I haven't figured out yet what the shortest amount of time is though, I would think having a very long warmup would be counter productive to keeping the legs fresh enough for the racing. It's one of those things to discover as the years go by!

A pity you found out too late and it cost you a state title. The australian masters road race this year starts with a 3km climb. Warmup will be critical!

[foo on patrol]

Yeah but you get that.

I will be looking at the Masters Titles in another few years, Strawbuger. I just need to get myself hardened up and race fit again.

At the moment, around 14klms (AT) 25-30kmh sees my legs warmed up.

Foo

[Strawburger]

cheers again foo!

better get cracking on the next instalment of my racing exploits!

[Strawburger]

Date: 9 August 14
Venue: Goulburn Great Divide - NSW ITT Championships & Masters Invitational
Conditions: Sunny & gusty wind
Grade: Masters M1&2
Result: 5th / 9
Report:

I've added this event to my calendar due to recently purchasing a dedicated time trial frame for the state & national championships. This was a hit out to test the machinery and the engine on the new bike and iron out any "creases"

Onto the race! I had a good warmup once i squeezed into the skinsuit and got the bike built. I felt comfortable on the bike so that's a bonus. The course is the same as the NSW champs last year - large headwind and uphill on the way out, downhill and tailwind on the way back.

I rolled out and kept a good early pace and power, keeping an eye on the average power to ensure i didn't go out too hard, but enough of a stretch so i could sail home. I was 3rd last to go so I kept the guy in front in sight and made sure the guy behind wasn't catching. The wind and incline was such that i needed to stay in the small ring and keep as aero as possible. Got to the half way point without being past, and the guy in front was closer than when i started. Good signs ahead! Did the turn around in about 21:30 (32km/hr). Happy with that and on track for a PB.

Turned and did the small incline before the awesome downhill/tailwind section and noticed that the derailleur woun't shift into the big ring. damn! I stopped on the crest and manually shifted into the big ring. Cost me 20sec... Didn't panic, the 20sec lost would be a lot less than if i stayed in the small ring. I powered over the rolling false flats and got ready for the really fast bit. Damn! couldn't shift into the 11sprocket. oh well. Spun out on a few occasions, it's an awesome feeling holding 60km/hr in the gusting winds with deep profile rims in a tuck position. The guy in front had disappeared and the guy behind was closing. Rolled over the line in 37mins, 16:30 (43.5km/hr) for the back half. Picked up last place starting, but was only 35sec off 2nd which i'm pleased about.

I've mistakenly thought I'm a far better bike mechanic and i'd build it up myself to reduce the costs. Well, fortunately this was a test event! Firstly, i installed cheap extension valves. the one on the front broke so I was unable to get great pressure in the front tub. Second and Thirdly I'd packed the bike and bent the front derailleur and nudged the rear derailleur (don't have a bike bag for this bike). Oh well, live and learn!

dist - 22.7kms
time - 37min 00sec (official time 37:00)
speed - 36.6km/hr avg (59.8km/hr max)
cadence - 98 avg
heart rate - 177 HR avg (182 max)
Power - not at peak yet!

[Strawburger]

Date: 10 August 14
Venue: Goulburn Great Divide Scratch Race
Conditions: Sunny & windy
Grade: D (45kms)
Result: 6th / 22
Report:

I was using this race to try out a few different things, including finding some form. I picked my points to attack beforehand and see how the race unveiled. I was feeling dizzy the night before, not sure if it was left over from a bug i have had or whether i'm ill from something else. I was tracking my health closely so if i was bad i'd jump off the bike. The course was pretty much the same as the ITT course, just a little longer.

I positioned myself on or near the front and worked the group through the headwinds. A few early attacks from others didn't amount to much, but one guy went and it stuck. We left him out there to battle it out, i was content to sit in the bunch. One by one, the pack reduced as the wind and hills got too much. A few guys attacked to bridge the reducing gap to the solo breakaway rider, no real reaction from the pack and i wasn't interested. Got to the half way point ready for the downhills and tailwind.

The breakaway riders formed and started pulling away. The peloton attacked and uphill bits with gusto. I held on on every hill, being at the front either at the start or the end of each rise. We pulled back the breakaway with 10km to go, there was 11 of us left. This got down to 7 with 5km to go. As we were approaching my predetermined attack point, one rider went. The pack reacted late and we were down to 5. The guy was out in front and looked to have sealed up the win with a good 50m lead. With 1km to go I looked around and attacked. I was closing the gap and got within 20m. I popped just as the sprint started. The four riders on my tail got me on the line as the breakaway rider took the win by only 10m.

Happier with my form after that ride, tried a few things and can use that info for the states and nationals in september!

dist - 44.6kms
time - 1hr 14min 29sec (official time 1:16:15)
speed - 35.9km/hr avg (63.0km/hr max)
cadence - 91 avg
heart rate - 169 HR avg (190 max)
Power - 252W NP

[foo on patrol]

Ya never know, if ya never have a go!

Foo

[Tarquin]

Just been reading your tour of bright review. I was persuaded into entering it by a riding mate, I'm in Elite C and he's masters B, we are similar ability really as there's only a few years between us too.

What sort of w per kg were you making to finish middle of the pack? The length of the climbs is what worries me, we have plenty of steep hills around Bathurst but nothing anywhere near that length.

I have no TT bike so was planning to use clip on bars too.

I was planning to train on a local climb known as the Euro which is about 3.5km at 7%, and do repeats of it when possible.

[Strawburger]

Good luck Tarquin. It's a fabulous race which is beautiful when you get dropped

Without giving too much away, my tt with clip ons averaged around the 4 w/kg. The last climb on stage 2 I averaged about 3.25w/kg which included a quite spectacular blow up from me. The stage 3 monster was about a 3.25-3.5 w/kg effort.

From my limited experience the bunch holds together until the last climb on each stage. The intermediate climb on stage 2 may catch a few out though.

My training consisted of 4km 5% climbs here in sydney. No need to do the huge ones if you know how to suffer on the indoor trainer. The power should roughly translate onto the sizeable mountains.

How are your numbers looking? Do you fit in that bracket?

[Tarquin]

I should easily do 3.8w per kg, and by then as long as my training goes to plan 4.2w/kg should be do able based off the last TT effort I did and losing 5% for threshold power.

Ofc that depends how fresh I'm feeling after 100km in the legs!

My problem is that I am tall so not very aero and because I'm tall, I'm also heavier than most riders.

[Strawburger]

Weight won't matter if you are already pulling those numbers Tarquin! It's guys like me that need that extra kg to attain the w/kg... Aero may be a problem, but it's a very short TT so you my be able to get away with it.

Freshness will count on day 3. There is nowhere to hide on a 20+km climb, so don't do anything stupid like attempting a breakaway on stage 2 unless you know you are going to win!

[Strawburger]

Date: 31 August 14
Venue: Kurrajong Classic
Conditions: Sunny
Grade: Div3 (66kms - 2 laps)
Result: 21st / 74
Report:

My favourite race of the season due to only the genuine climb on the calendar, i usually do well in this one. The form was good but not perfect, so the aim was to "fine tune" for the state & national champs next month. I was close last year for the KOM, so i was targeting a good result for the KOM and a good pacing across the line at the finish.

We rolled off and within the first few kms we had the descent & climb. I found myself near the front on the descent and led the peloton up the climb. A team mate and one other rounded me so i opened up a slight gap for them to decide whether they wanted to go on a breakaway. They did, but it was far too far out to succeed this early in the race. I barked orders at the climbers to sort out a paceline and start driving the pace. Only a couple including myself were interested for a few kms then it broke down. I sat on the front and controlled the pace. In the back of my head i was thinking this is stupid, but i needed to really test myself so i continued for about 10 mins. My pace slowed and this allowed others to roll to the front, and eventually breakaway to join the two out front. The peloton decided quickly to shut it down and we were all back together at about the 20km mark. A small group then attacked again at 22km, this one looked pretty serious. They were out by about 30sec with about 10mins to the KOM point. I was near the front and getting nervous. I called a team mate to lead the counter attack to bridge the gap. We went at the 29km mark and I sat on his wheel. We reckoned we needed to catch them and have enough to recover before both leading the charge for the KOM. We really went hard and swapped turns. We caught them at about the 32km mark absolutely stuffed, just on 5 mins before the kom Bummer we dragged the poloton with us

We were in a great position again for the descent, i was in about 10th position, my mate was in the top few. Once the road tilted up, it was game on. There were about 8 DH riders in great positions, we have this covered! I sat on at the front of the poloton as my mate and one other DH rider went off up the road. I kept a steady pace as a few riders passed me midway up. I didn't panic and kept a good pace (A bit like Froomy in the Vuelta!). Soon i was passing those riders as they popped. I ended up a few seconds down and cresting in 5th position, with some major gaps opened up. My mate got the KOM, another DH rider was 2nd! They kept pushing on but as the rest of the climbers crested they decided not to do anything. I had enough and decided to sit on myself. There were a few attacks but nothing of note. It was a huge front group but no-one pushing the pace. By 45kms I already knew it was going to be a bunch sprint. Fast forward 15kms when the guys start getting twitchy. I found myself thinking i wanted to go to work tomorrow in one piece so i made my way up to the front of the pack to join my mate. We rolled on the front for the last 5kms. Not surprisingly no-one wanted to take up the pace. We were there for the start of the sprint. I kicked as others started their sprints with 500m to go (a little far out!), I held on near the front until the last 100m and got rolled by a huge amount of riders on the line.

Happy with the effort, happy with my tactics, lots of learning to take to the big races next month!

dist - 65.0kms
time - 1hr 44min 50sec (official time 1:45:14)
speed - 37.2km/hr avg (79.8km/hr max)
cadence - 90 avg
heart rate - 172 HR avg (190 max)
Power - 256W NP

[mikesbytes]

Rumor has it that Strawburger is getting some secret training in RNP for preparation for the NSW and AU champs over the next 2 weeks

[Strawburger]

Mike, all my training is secret training

[Strawburger]

Date: 14 September 14
Venue: DHBC Rookwood Necropolis Crit
Conditions: Sunny
Grade: A (40mins + 1 lap)
Result: 7th / 19
Report:

My Club (DHBC) was invited to participate in Rookwood Cemetery’s open day. No, you don’t go opening up old caskets… Not often does a thing like this happen so the club and it’s members jumped on it. Some great numbers showed in all grades, including the boys from our NRS team for A grade… The course was windy with a fast descent and a sharp rise leading into the finish straight. 1.4 odd km laps. We were on for 40mins + 1 lap with 5 NRS & 12 others.

It was going to be a case of how we team up so a few alliances were struck in the weeks leading up to the event. We were racing the last event so after a mild warmup, we sat around for an hour watching the lower grades (as did everyone).

The NRS boys lined up the hour before the start on the line, so us stragglers were positioned behind when it came to starting the race. We were off and the NRS boys put the hammer down. I was poorly positioned (near the back) and was holding on to the pack. On the first lap rise they really lifted and broke the field. I was sitting within reach of the NRS, Mikesbytes was sitting on the back of the NRS boys. They kept the hammer down, rotating the pace setting until the 2nd lap rise. It was game over as they opened up a gap as one by one the “normals” popped. We chased in earnest but by lap 3 they had disappeared. I’d suggested to the pack that we sit up, regain the troops and have our own race. For the next 25 mins we rolled around at a fast pace, I took a fair chunk of the pace making duties.

With the time nearing 35mins, i turned to one of my allies to jump on the front and attack in 2 laps time. When we passed the start/finish, the bell went… A bit early! I got myself onto the front on the downhill and attacked on a mini rise. This broke the field up, shaking about 7 of the rest. I put the head down and strung out what was left. At the last rise, i attacked again, shaking all but two others. As we crested and were approaching the finish line, i sat up and sat in on 2nd wheel. My ally was behind me. I turned and said “it’s yours”. He opened up for the sprint, i jumped on his wheel and we rolled the other guy to finish 1st and 2nd of the "normals".

Happy with how i used this race as fine tuning for the states and nationals. Further testing for the real stuff!

dist - 23.7kms
time - 40min 508sec
speed - 35.4km/hr avg (47.4km/hr max)
cadence - 88 avg
heart rate - 169 HR avg (189 max)
Power - 287W NP

[Strawburger]

State and nat champs reports to come...

Just did my annual studio FTP test and may have underestimated what I can achieve. Sat next to a sponsored rider and matched their w/kg, so a bit of soul searching and some guidance may be needed for some race craft for next year !

[Strawburger]

Date: 27 September 14
Venue: NSW Masters Road Race Championships (Griffith)
Conditions: Sunny & hot
Grade: Masters M1&2 (6 laps of 17kms)
Result: 11th / 20 M2, 17th / 31 combined
Report:

It was road trip time! I did a load of extra hours during the working year so i had enough hours built up to afford a guilt free 9 day vacation from work. Not that this would be relaxing, the next 4 races were going to be damn hard!

A 7 hour drive to Griffith from Sydney was pretty exhausing so I decided not to do much that evening except register, eat and sleep. Mikesbytes was staying at another place just across the road so it was good to have a club mate there.

The M2’s were lumped in with the M1’s, the organisers decided to add and extra 20 odd kms to last years length too so this was going to be tough. The course was mainly flat 17km loop, the start had a fast downhill section and the end had an uphill slope. It was difficult to analyse how steep the last section was until riding the course.

I warmed up with a club mate and tried to get on course. Unfortunately it was closed so we rolled around Griffith for 1/2 hr or so.

It was heating up so i took 3 water bottles with me to the start line. A 3km neutral zone then we were off! I got myself near the front and sat on some good wheels as the attacks started. One by one the attacks were closed down. Then a bunch of 3 were out in front and no-one was willing to chase. Within the completion of the first lap the breakaway had disappeared. The rise at the end of the lap suited the strong. It was 200m long and steep at 5%, but pinched at 7% halfway up. I gained a lot of ground just cruising up, so it could be a good sign for later in the race.

Lap 2 saw some counter attacks being shut down. A bit of effort was used to keep on the wheels and some energy to avoid the big brown snake crossing the road (it was huge!).

Unfortunately the rest of the race was pretty boring. The breakaway got a huge lead, no-one was willing to chase hard. We closed it down to about 1min for the final lap but the bunch settled in for the insignificant placings. We caught a dropped breakaway rider meaning we were competing for 3rd place overall, 2nd place in the individual M1 / M2 races (M1&M2 had a rider out in the breakaway).

With 5km to go, I was caught out in a bad position and ended up drifting to the back of the peloton. I started to move my way back up the field but it was all in vein as a crash at 3km to go unfolded in front of me. I was caught up momentarily, chased back on and got to the rear of the field just as the sprint started. I sat on wheels and on the uphill section cruised passed a few popped riders to finish 17 in the combined, or 11th in M2’s.

Happy with the improvement, just need to work on positioning.

dist - 104.3kms
time - 2hr 34min 51sec (official time 2:34:30)
speed - 39.9km/hr avg (63.2km/hr max)
cadence - 87 avg
heart rate - 168 HR avg (188 max)
Power - 220NP (pretty easy going)

[Strawburger]

Date: 29 September 14
Venue: NSW Masters Individual Time Trial Championships (Griffith)
Conditions: Sunny & very hot
Grade: Masters M2
Result: 6th
Report:

After scoping out the course with Mikesbytes, my plan was to negatively split, even with a 3km uphill finish including the same hill as the road race. It was a very fast start, 3kms downhill, then a crosswind on the flat open area for 10kms, then finish with 3kms uphill.

My time trial position is relatively new. Only spent about 6hrs on it before today. I guestimated my power averages for the TT bike and generally followed that plan.

My DH club mate flatted about 5km in. As I went past i commiserated and kept going. I saved enough in the tank to go flat out for the final 3kms. I got out of the saddle for the hill and finished strong. Looking at the strava stats, my finish half was one of the top, however i went way too slow in the first part.

Happy with the result, with a lot of room to improve. I reckon I have lost about 20% power with a 10% gain in time. i’d like that to flip itself by this time next year! The legs are the limitation on the TT bike, probably due to lack of familiarity.

dist - 17.5kms
time - 27min 48sec (official time 27:43)
speed - 37.8km/hr avg (56.6km/hr max)
cadence - 96 avg
heart rate - 177 HR avg (189 max)
Power - 265NP

[Strawburger]

Date: 2 October 14
Venue: Australian Masters Individual Time Trial Championships (Ballarat)
Conditions: Windy & cold
Grade: Masters M2
Result: 9th
Report:

Flat, windy, cold. For a second i thought i was at last years course… What is it with Nationals courses and wind farming regions?

I scoped the course the day before and decided it’s pretty much just flat out for the entire race. Not much pacing strategy needed. My aim was for 2nd last or better… Seeing as though Shane Miller is in M2’s now, the distant reality of winning just doesn’t exist!

Coming from 30+ deg sunny days at Griffith to 5deg Balarat, i chose to keep the warm clothes on for the TT. Learning from the NSW TT, I decided to adjust my watts slightly higher and hope to hold on. I had someone to chase (which is unusual for me due to loads of DNS's) and had two behind including Shane Miller 2 mins behind. My plan was to hold Shane off for as long as possible!

I started well, keeping to the plan. The wind was slightly different to the day before, actually the wind was making a head wind for the finish. I didn’t change plan and was feeling great. Just on approach to the halfway point, Shane flew past. From my reckoning, I was on track for a PB.

I kept going, the legs were screaming just as i turned into the headwind. I could see the finish line, only 3kms of headwind to go. I sucked it up and finished with absolutely nothing left in the tank. I hit my PB and a top 10 finish!

Pretty stoked with the result and with the speed. Again, lots to improve on but at least there are signs of improvement.

dist - 18.8kms
time - 28min 16sec (official time 28:13)
speed - 40.0km/hr avg (55.4km/hr max)
cadence - 98 avg
heart rate - 176 HR avg (186 max)
Power - 256NP

[Strawburger]

Date: 4 October 14
Venue: Australian Masters Road Race Championships (Ballarat)
Conditions: Sunny & cool
Grade: Masters M2 (4 laps of 28kms)
Result: DNF (not last )
Report:

I was here to finish 2 out of the 4 laps (28kms per lap). For those unfamiliar, its a similar course to the elites. The lap starts with a 3.5km climb of 4%, pinching at 10% in parts. It then heads north, kicks west, then connects back into the elite’s course for the descent and finish.

I’d seen parts of it on TV but nothing prepares you on race day! I did a lap the day before and picked out areas where i could be dropped and try to put actions in place for it not to happen.

Got to the race early, warmed up, signed on and looked for the spares vehicle with 10mins to go… After lots of pointing in the wrong direction from officials, i finally found it, only to tell them it’s full. FFFFFFAAAAAAAA…… I went back to my car, put the spares in and raced down to the start line. I had made it by 20sec. Got my name ticked off, joined the back of the group. Clipped out, had a quick breath, then we were off! We turned the corner and saw the front putting the hurt on early. Then after only 1.5kms, the bunch split in half. The heavy guys couldn’t hold on. Could my race already be over? I was well positioned to find a good bit of road (i.e. last on the road) to overtake. The leaders then attacked again. I put everything into the climb and ended up bridging the huge gap. I had never climbed like that before. As we crested, the group put the hammer down and i had nothing. Fortunately half the field was behind me. A group of 8 formed and we chased hard and eventually got back on. I decided to sit on and hang on for a few kms. The attacks kept coming, every time there was a rise in the road there was a huge acceleration. I was still in the bunch though and happy. On the descent was a different story.

With 5kms to go, the group hammered down the descent. I lost the back wheel and they were disappearing. With 2km to go, they were 15sec ahead but in sight. There were no tomorrows... I put my head down and pedalled as hard as I could. I got back on at the start/finish line Only to turn the corner and face the big climb again. By this time, a breakaway had formed so the pace wasn’t as brutal as the first lap. I held on to the bunch until moments before the crest. All my matches were burnt. Race over, or so i had thought. I rolled solo for 5kms or so before being picked up by a group of 6 dropped riders. I sat on and worked when i could. We were only a few mins down on the bunch. Just before the descent they put the hammer down and I could’t hold them. I rolled down the descent and crossed the finish line and got off the bike. 2 laps done and dusted. The commissare came up and gave me a big hug and congratulated me on my efforts. Not sure why but at that point in time i was taking hugs from anybody!

the nationals are a huge step up from the states. Speaking with aussiebullet after the race, my power numbers alone don’t stack up, let alone my racing inexperience. I might skip next year's nationals and focus on the shorter racing in M3’s!

dist - 55.8kms
time - 1hr 32min 01sec (official time DNF)
speed - 36.3km/hr avg (66.2km/hr max)
cadence - 91 avg
heart rate - 168 HR avg (188 max)
Power - 252NP, IF 1.0 at point of being dropped.

Me holding on for dear life at the back

[Strawburger]

And my friends, that it is for the racing season for 2014. Holidays, consuming food and drink i don't normally and do loads of fun stuff...

Back in the saddle in December to figure out what to do with the 10% extra power i didn't know i had!

[toolonglegs]

You saved them up!... Nice work and kudos for a holiday well spent
ps... What's your Strava handle?

[ft_critical]

Well done strawburger. Mt Buninyong was hard.

Where did you get the Griffith photos from?

[Strawburger]

You saved them up!... Nice work and kudos for a holiday well spent

Thanks TLL. If only we were heading to France this year...

Well done strawburger. Mt Buninyong was hard.

Where did you get the Griffith photos from?

I did the mt buninyong lap the day before. It was nothing special, to me it was an easier version of one of the sydney climbs. On race day it was a whole different story! Unbelievably tough. Looking at the strava times the elites are at another level again! How did you go?

I was lucky enough to be in the right position for the start of the nsw road race, I pinched it from cycling nsw Facebook page.

[Strawburger]

Starting season 6... Got a few reports to catch up on.

[Strawburger]

Date: 1st March 15
Venue: Calga ATTA
Conditions: Cool, sunny
Grade: Long course
Result: 29th over the line / 35th std placings
Report:

Been off sick so what better way to test your loss of fitness than to do a time trial! My first outing on the TT bike and first ever at calga. Wasn't expecting much and the result showed. Could probably do about 1:07-1:10 at peak performance, obviously this wasn't one of those days.

dist - 42.9kms
time - 1hr 15min 51sec
speed - 33.9 km/hr avg (68.2 km/hr max)
cadence - 92 avg
heart rate - 173 HR avg (180 max)
Power - embarrassing too low to write