After nearly 8 months of training, it is now under 4 weeks until the Worlds! I haven't blogged since late April both because I am too slack and because I have struggled to manage work, family, riding and sleeping. It seems to me that one has invariably be short-changed at all times, particularly sleep!
My replacement bike has fitted me better and better with every tweak, every ride and every race and it now feels even better than my long lost Cinelli!
I have raced two big Opens since that last entry and a number of smaller races. Almost all have been handicaps, which are great for training as you go pretty much full gas the whole way. The trajectory of my performances has been a steady upward one, which has been pleasing. I have been able to ride higher and higher average speeds, gradually beating riders who were beating me in February and March. While all that is good, and shows my capacity is significantly increased, the race craft of scratch racing is still where I am going to struggle the most.
At the moment I am aware that I am very tired in a deep way, and really looking forward to travelling in three weeks, as I will have four consecutive days off! The recovery rides are only enough to bounce me back a small amount before the lactic tolerance sessions smash me entirely again. It shows in my lack of top end when I race, and I really need the races to be long, as then everyone else gets down to my level of fatigue and I get no worse - a bizarre set of circumstances! Nonetheless, even this is a good sign!
So, only two weekends of racing before I leave. Both are Opens; the Victorian Masters Championships next weekend is only 60 km but is a hilly course and a scratch event, so good tactical practice, provided the course is not too hilly for me to stay on - beware the anorexic climbers!! The last race before the worlds is in Bendigo, the Rob Vernon Memorial race, about which no one knows anything except that it is 110 km and a handicap, which will be a good one to finish on. However, given it is Bendigo, there will be no hills!
When I leave, the plan is to blog every day, so look out!
Ciao for just a while!
wow Brad -- getting so close...The adrenaline must be starting to kick in at the thought of what's ahead. What are the acutal race dates and is there an iPhone app we can follow progress on like Le Tour? Serious question as the Masters is a serious event :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's very exciting xxx