Strawbuger's Racing Log

[Strawburger]

Date: 29 May 11
Venue: Ken Dinnerville 90km Handicap
Conditions: Mild
Grade: Limit +7 (+23mins)
Result: 81st / 170
Report:

After a cruisy drive down with Mikesbytes and a casual warm up with the team, we were off. The bunch seemed pretty strong but a little disorgansied early on. Once we got ourselves into the paceline the speed was on. Lap one was pretty non-eventful. Fellow ACF rider Kev<insert numbers> was in this group with a camera i think. The hill got some riders puffing but no major problems.

Lap 2 and we were still chasing the limit group and trying to hold off the bunch behind. About half way into the race we were caught by the group behind. The pace increased slightly with some really strong riders in there. I was slowly popping off the back and was holding on doing turns when i could (not frequent by any means).

Lap 3 and we were still together and had not been caught by any other group, however we had still not caught the limit group. We spotted them on the hill and caught them soon after. A shame as i got dropped on the crest of the hill similar to Canberra a few weeks ago. I chased but to no avail. I popped big time and couldn't latch onto the passing groups. I rolled in slowly only losing 4mins to the eventual winner. My bunch produced the podium which was a great effort.

dist - 85.1kms
time - 2hrs 31min 42sec (official time of 2:35.19)
speed - 33.6km/hr avg (66.4 max)
cadence - 91 avg
heart rate - 172 HR avg (188 max)

Bettered my time by about 18 mins from last year. I feel like the legs are getting better! Average speed before dropped was close to 35km/hr. Not too shabby hence the bunch picking up the podiums.

[foo on patrol]

That's a good slice off the time for the distance Strawburger.

[Strawburger]

That's a good slice off the time for the distance Strawburger.

Yeah pretty happy with the result. However last year's race was my first open road race plus i had also come back from a 3 week holiday in Italy about 5kg heavier. Improvement was always going to happen, i didn't think it was going to be this much though!

[mikesbytes]

The 5 Kg wouldn't of helped

[Strawburger]

Date: 4 June 11
Venue: Wagga Wagga Classic 84km
Conditions: wet, muddy & cold
Grade: Limit +9.5 (+10.5mins) - TBC
Result: DNF
Report:

After last week's event i was feeling pretty good in the legs. With the rain coming down and the comissares having a problem with their cb radios, the start was delayed by about 30mins. Wet and cold, most riders hid in their vehicles.... Some braved the conditions to do a warm up. I decided to wait and do a quick one before the start.

Just as we were rolling off we were told there would be a section of dirt track about 20kms in. All i could think of was the Giro... We were off and as we were turning left 100m up the road i decided to take the long cut and turn right with another couple of riders as the rest of the bunch turned left. We took the A grade turn and had to time trial for 1km back to the bunch

Once we all recovered the bunch got into a really good rhythm and most riders were pulling their turn. One by one we saw the effects of the previous 2 bunches (limit & limit +5?) speed as we passed the dropped riders. The dirt road was quite interesting. Quite rough and damp but not too muddy or grooved. We got over that and pushed on. With no notable climbs the going was pretty steady. The wind after Junee was dealt with pretty well by the bunch but we still had not caught the bunch in front nor caught by the other bunches as we were sitting on about 35km/hr.

With 35kms to go, the mega bunch finally caught up with us. They were motoring along at about 55-60km/hr in sections. I sat up the rear and got sucked along grabbing some food and water. The legs were feeling great and had thoughts of jumping up the front to keep with the scratch group. Just before the turn home (with about 30km to go) the rear wheel started feeling a bit strange, something i haven't experienced in a while. A flat! I pulled up and thought "is it worth changing a tube and riding on by myself?" As i looked around dejected a vehicle stopped and asked if i wanted a lift. SOLD! My first trip back via the broom wagon...

A pretty good average speed before the bunch caught us and pretty happy with my form considering the conditions (wet) and recent training (none!).

dist - 55.9kms
time - 1hrs 31min 55sec
speed - 36.5km/hr avg (58.8 max)
cadence - 94 avg
heart rate - 176 HR avg (186 max)

[Strawburger]

Date: 5 June 11
Venue: Wagga Wagga Criterium
Conditions: cold, damp
Grade: F - 25mins +3 laps
Result: 1st
Report:

It was damn cold, but not as cold as last year. I had a pretty good result last year and thought i'd be in with a chance of another podium if i played my cards right. I made sure from the off i was in a good position from the first lap so i sat behind a fellow ACF rider (seems to happen a lot recently!) - Beanzy from RBCC. Thankfully Beanzy is slightly bigger than i am so i sat in behind as his powerful legs closed down a few early breaks. Both primes came and went without anyone kicking on afterward. The group pretty much held together waiting for the final lap... Or so was the plan. I was having none of that so with 4.5 laps to go i made a break for it. A few Wagga guys signaled my intend and the local maccas sponsored favourite jumped with another rider from wagga to chase me down. I had a good 10 seconds on them at one stage but i couldn't sustain the high pace. i was blowing up quickly as the heart rate was over 190 (zone 5.7-5.9). With 2 laps to go i was being closed down and the inevitable happened. I sat on their wheels and tried to gather some breath. We had another chasing bunch not far back so the pace had to stay up. The maccas guy sat in as his mate pulled a huge turn. I looked over and the chasing bunch had tired so on the bell lap we were flighting for the top 3 spots. I sat 2nd wheel as the wagga guy did the work. The maccas guy sat on mine. Around the last bend the wagga guy led the sprint out. i wound up and jumped with 300m to go as we both blew off the wagga guy. The maccas guy made his move about 200 out but i dug in and held on for the win by half a length.

Stoked about getting the win. The legs were great and didn't give me any grief all weekend. I think i was lucky i blew a tyre the day before which made me slightly fresher. The announcer gave the Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club a great complement as i walked to the podium which was pretty nice. I also got a photo of the finish which is pretty cool albeit my face looks like i'm in a great deal of pain! I was also caught out having to do a speech but hopefully didn't sound too bad. The only downside was having to wait in the rain for a few hrs waiting for the presentation - i also missed the A grade crit whilst having a look around Wagga Also, the guy who came 2nd in F grade last year (beat me in the sprint) ended up getting 2nd in E grade!

dist - 19.2kms
time - 31min 49sec
speed - 36.2km/hr avg (51.3 max)
cadence - 94 avg - TBC
heart rate - 174 HR avg (192 max)

[philip]

Awesome result Strawburger, gotta be happy with that! Sounds like you played it very well, well done

I also got a photo of the finish which is pretty cool albeit my face looks like i'm in a great deal of pain!

Link please

We should start a race photo thread and have a comp for the best race face or something.

[mikesbytes]

Amazing result !!!!!!!

[foo on patrol]

A good result there Strawburger!

Makes a difference when you use your melon in a race and ride smart.

[ft_critical]

Congratulations!

[Strawburger]

Thanks everyone!

Makes a difference when you use your melon in a race and ride smart.

Absolutely! It pays to have even a tiny bit of experience and know the surroundings which i am only just beginning to acquire.

[Strawburger]

The photo that was presented on the podium (name removed!)

[stevecassidy]

Great photo, looks like he's hurting more than you - you've got the winner's grin.

Steve

[Strawburger]

A bit of a delayed report, catching up for the new season!

Date: 9 July 11
Venue: Mudgee 90km Mark Dwyer Handicap
Conditions: cold, high winds
Grade: Limit +6mins (+32mins before scratch)
Result: 115th / 184
Report:

It was cold and windy! Our bunch rolled off six minutes after limit. From the get go the bunch of 25 was disorganised. Only a handful wanted to race, the others wanted to sit in. After a few calls to roll and taking a few turns at the front with a fellow DHBC rider, we got things rolling. Only a few kms in we needed to lift the pace, so over the first crest of a small rise one rider calls out to lift, however i look over my shoulder to see the original 6 riders that were doing all the work cause a split in the group. We decided to go so we did. The cross winds were picking up and generally causing havoc. One of the stronger riders in the group flatted about 25kms in and there was no chance back for him. We pressed on, making sure we didn't drop anyone. Just short of the half way stage a huge gust picked my front wheel up and dragged me about 50cm sidewards. I somehow managed to hold on to the bike and by bowel! Crossing the half way point the group behind still hadn't caught us nor did we catch limit. The time check was just over 8 mins. We looked at each other and couldn't believe they put 2mins on us. Our confidence dropped and we started to slow. By this time my knee was starting to blow up but i pushed through the pain. With about 25kms to go the group behind caught us so i sucked some wheel. With about 15kms to go the knee decided that it had enough so i popped out the back and rolled home with the other dropped riders.

Lesson i learnt: dress for the occasion! I should have worn something to keep the knees warm!

Again had to pull out of the sunday's scratch race - this time due to the knee. I warmed up but the pain was too intense so i was a DNS. I did see the riders go past as i was sipping on my first wine tasting for the day!

dist - 88.45kms
time - 2hrs 46min 52sec
speed - 31.8km/hr avg (63.0 max)
cadence - 87 avg
heart rate - 172 HR avg (189 max)

[Strawburger]

Kurrajong Classic 2011- DNS My 2nd favourite race of the season and was too ill to compete. Maybe next year

[Strawburger]

Long time between races!

Date: 18 March 12
Venue: Corporate Games Triathlon (15km ride only) - Kernell
Conditions: cloudy, slight wind
Grade: N/A
Result: 3rd / 35
Report:

My first TT effort with clip ons and a borrowed helmet from Mikesbytes + some booties thrown in as well (thanks Mike). I was aiming for 40km/hr and got pretty close. What i didn't realise that the transition times are added to the bike leg. Bummer! The transition area was mud and slush from the constant downpors, so it was a bit like a cyclocross start and end.

My swimmer wasn't flash, neither was the runner. My swimmer ran/walked past the transition area looking lost. I was in position 32/35 at the start. I ran through and clipped in. I soon found some rhythm and got the HR at a suitable level into the wind. My garmin then lost GPS (had the spare bike thus no magnet ). I guestimated the speed and distance at the half way point heading home with the tail wind. I usually keep a high cadence which decreases power for me so i was conscious of keeping this near enough to 90. I let rip in the last 5 kms and finished with a reasonable time and still a tiny bit left in the legs for the walk through the sloshy grass. I may have to give Calga a go soon, this TT business is quite challenging! Time below does not include transition (fortunately). I may have gained a spot with a quicker one though.

dist - 15.4kms
time - 24min 10sec
speed - 38.2km/hr avg (47.5 max)
cadence - 88 avg
heart rate - 181 HR avg (186 max)

[foo on patrol]

The hardest part of TTs' is pacing yourself to the finish. I believe in the nothing left in the legs way, at the end, so that you can't even stand for a few minutes but if you're doing Tris' then you can't do that.

Foo

[mikesbytes]

I'll be interested in seeing your average speed at Calga, then we can use your speed differential to gauge the pace of the Kernel route

[Strawburger]

Date: 21 April 12
Venue: NSW Hillclimbing Championships Bathurst
Conditions: Calm, sunny
Grade: MMAS2
Result: 10th / 15
Report:

I weighed myself just before breakfast and I have achieved my racing weight again after 1.5 years since my minor accident ( and this was partly due to being pretty sick recently). We got to the track later than i wanted to be so i got about a 20 min warmup. Stripped the bike of any unwanted weight and got into position. I was feeling nervous, not sure why as i had no chance of winning or coming close to it! I had a look at the others start, it seemed flat out was the only way to go. I knew of the course so my aim was not to get into the red too early before the 15% section. The first km went to plan, staying under the red zone on the slight uphill. Once the 5% section started about 1.3kms in i pushed harder which got me above the red zone. The Bathurst guy who started 30 sec after me passed midway through the 5% section. When the hill ramped up between 2.3-3.3kms i came into my specialty area. I passed the Bathurst guy and continued to go well into the red zone. On approach to the crest i backed off slightly and dropped the HR slightly. After the crest is a 1km flattish section. I changed into the big ring and powered as much as i could to the finish line. Spent, I looked down and saw I broke the 11min barrier (which was my goal). I was hoping for a 10:30 pre sickness so i am pretty happy with the result! The winner of my category achieved the 3rd fastest time of the day, 2nd place had the 6th. Both would have silver and bronze in the elite!

dist - 4.2kms
time - 10min 55sec
speed - 23.0km/hr avg (47.1 max)
cadence - 84 avg
heart rate - 186 HR avg (192 max)

[Strawburger]

Date: 22 April 12
Venue: Blayney to Bathurst 110km Long Course
Conditions: slight wind, patchy drizzle
Grade: 35-40km/hr bunch
Result: 10th / 160 odd in the bunch, 89th / 730 overall
Report:

Got to the event with a bit of time to warm up but found myself riding through the closed road just 30 sec before the 160km elite riders flew through Met up with a Penrith rider that i met the day before at the Hillclimbing champs and we had a bit of a chat. We decided we'd ride together until one of us got dropped. We lined up near the front in anticipation of a quick start. Fortunately for me it was a very quick start. I found myself behind a couple of wheels that were slow so i put in some big efforts to go around them and join the front of the peloton. The pace was high for the first 10 or so kms but settled down after that. This let some of the "ride once a year" riders to hold on and make their way towards the front of the pack. On the first of the climbs the bunch shed some more riders, some to crashes after some poor bunch riding skills. I almost came down after one rider decided to climb the hill from right to left, throwing his body all over the place and swiping my front wheel. I just held onto my bike and continued.

I continued to find myself being pushed back toward the rear of the peloton as riders were taking all sorts of risks moving themselves up the pack. On a number of occasions i had to get myself back up toward the front with some hard riding. The 2nd big climb shed some more riders and passing quite a few dropped riders from the 40km+ riders so the bunch was down to about 50 odd. The pace continued to the base of the major climb with 30km to go. I placed myself near the front at the base of the climb. The pace was relentless! I sat near the front for the first 2km as we shed all but 20 riders. The last 2km was brutal. I was well inside the red zone and the pace lifted. The group shed another 5 riders and we were down to 15. The Penrith guy was still in the group, he attacked and a handful of riders went with him. I kept powering up the hill but could not sustain his pace. Five got off the front, i crested in 7th place so I sat up and the remaining 10 formed a bunch and got into a paceline.

On the decent i saw the most horrible remains of a crash. Three bikes on the road, one guy sitting up with blood pouring from his head and legs/arms. We were travelling at roughly 80km/hr at that point. I didn't see the other two riders. Spectators were rushing to the scene as two were warning riders to slow down. We swerved and just missed the bikes and continued on. We were catching the lead bunch and got within about 10 seconds with about 5km to go when on a sharp wet corner the first 3 guys in the paceline went in too quick and crashed. We came to a halt and the chase was over. We regrouped and attempted to catch the them again but it was all over with 2km to go. I was well into the red and sore and struggled to hold on in the remaining km. I got my legs back on the flat with 500m to go and ended up taking fifth in the group, 10th in the 35-40km/hr bunch The Penrith rider took out 1st. Well done! Looked down at the clock at the ride was completed in under 3hrs which is a PB by about 20mins. As for the elite group (40km.hr+), Ben Kirsten came first and crossed the line 10 mins earlier.

dist - 108.9kms
time - 2hrs 54min 14sec
speed - 37.5km/hr avg (78.0 max)
cadence - 89 avg
heart rate - 168 HR avg (187 max)

[mjd]

Date: 22 April 12
Venue: Blayney to Bathurst 110km Long Course
Conditions: slight wind, patchy drizzle
Grade: 35-40km/hr bunch
Result: 10th / 160 odd in the bunch, 89th / 730 overall
Report:
On the decent i saw the most horrible remains of a crash. Three bikes on the road, one guy sitting up with blood pouring from his head and legs/arms. We were travelling at roughly 80km/hr at that point. I didn't see the other two riders. Spectators were rushing to the scene as two were warning riders to slow down. We swerved and just missed the bikes and continued on. We were catching the lead bunch and got within about 10 seconds with about 5km to go when on a sharp wet corner the first 3 guys in the paceline went in too quick and crashed.

Saw the same crash but only one guy with him when we seen it & he was on the ground not moving.
Same corner as you lost three riders so did we. Had six chasing after a crash before the climb split the bunch. Had my hand out trying to slow our group down but they cut through the cones at speed & one after the other hit the deck. Chase over!
AVG around 39kph
Time was 2:46 or something I was well shagged especially after the crit on Saturday.

[mikesbytes]

Awsome pace mate, that's the sort of average speed that would be good on a flat course, not a hilly one like this

[Strawburger]

Saw the same crash but only one guy with him when we seen it & he was on the ground not moving.
Same corner as you lost three riders so did we. Had six chasing after a crash before the climb split the bunch. Had my hand out trying to slow our group down but they cut through the cones at speed & one after the other hit the deck. Chase over!
AVG around 39kph
Time was 2:46 or something I was well shagged especially after the crit on Saturday.

That is a pretty sharp time! Well done especially after the crit. It's almost funny, we had someone in our bunch warning us to slow down at that corner too, but the first three didn't listen and went over. I wonder how many times this event repeated itself.

Awsome pace mate, that's the sort of average speed that would be good on a flat course, not a hilly one like this

Cheers Mike! Although there were a lot of downhills in this course too! Thinking back to your conversation a few months ago you may be right regarding the similarity in my development compared to your own development. Looks like i'm about 2-3 years behind which means i should be competing in (local) B grade this season (just don't tell the handicappers )

[toolonglegs]

How much meters climbing in that course?... nice average either way by both of you.
All that crashing sounds like punter city though .
Or was the course a bit wet?... seeing that no one ever races in the wet in Oz except for Opens! .

[Strawburger]

How much meters climbing in that course?... nice average either way by both of you.
All that crashing sounds like punter city though .
Or was the course a bit wet?... seeing that no one ever races in the wet in Oz except for Opens! .

1125m there or thereabouts. Not what you would describe as overly hilly (say compared to a Canberra tour race) but not flat either.

Punter city! Horrible displays of pack riding though all grades/bunches from what i have heard from other DH riders. The drizzle had little to do with the amount of crashes throughout the day.