Ben's Work and Race notes

July 29th
I've been hitting it consistantly. Today may be the most significant training day I've had.


I'm training with power! Now If I knew how.

July18th
Headed out to the Giro De Coppi. I have had a tough week at work and at home. I didn't get any easy rides Wednesday - Friday. I arrived about an hour early, set up trainer, pinned number, all prerace stuff. Then I realized, 35+ 4s and 5s were first so, warm up on the road. Ihead out the race route, nice easy downgrade to a sharp left turn, facing a friggin vertical wall.This is just a percursor of the entire route. I checked online, the terrain map looked relatively flat at 500 ft. Oh boy, was that ever wrong. This is going to be a skinny guys delight. I scoped out some big fellas and we agreed to work togather once spit off the back. By the third hill, I was considering withdrawing and heading home. I stuck it out though. Amazingly, about half way through the second lap, I started pulling in straglers and spitting them out. My legs had come to me. Same thing on the third lap. I did get passed by the 123 ladies though. The were flying up the hills. POWER to WEIGHT! Damn those genetics. My dad is fit as a fiddle at 76 years old and is between 190 and 200lbs. I saw Jose at the parking lot, he finished around 12th. No confirmed report from Ken. Jose thought he might have been spit off too. This was a brutal course; 39 miles, 4300 ft gained, 15 mph winds from west, not one single flat section over a mile. Rollers my butt. These were more like foothills. I wish Jeff could have been there. This has to be a great prep for Page County (which I am passing on). Bring on PLT TT and Chesepeake Crits. This 220 lb flatlander yearns for the old Pungo rides where if you wanted to climb, you went over the bridge.

Bill, can you help me improve sprinting between now and the Ches. Crit?

July 15th
Need rest. Broke cardinal rule. I just purchased a Power Tap. I'm lacing it up to a Velovity 2.1.
Should be on power in three weeks max.
July 14th
Lunch ride, I'm thinking I really need to stay home, no Bryan Park for me. I check the schedule, 2X10 Tempo 2X15 LT. OK, I'm off. First, I don't rest inbetween the two Tempos. Feeling great, keeping HR near top end of zone. Five minutes rest, then; LT #1 - I go to a power gear and start grinding it out. My HR slowly climbs to zone, I stick it about 4 beats from topend, ten minutes, whew, five rest, gotta hit it again, I grab an even bigger gear and start turning over the BIG muscels. * minutes in, I'm cooked. I pulled the plug. rolled into the gym, shower and head to a 1300 meeting across base. On the way, I call wifey, see how things are. Her sister is coming up for the night. I think Great, I can go to Bryant Park.

Part Deux - Tuesdat at the races. I drag Jack down sans kit, and we enter. Ken's there already so, its gonna be a good race. We toe the line, and the race director executes a sinister plot. Not only are we racing the shitty direction, he starts all 5s 45 seconds ahead of the 4s. The 4s vow to paceline till we catch the 5s. I head up front, and, there are about 7 - 10 of us pacelining. Who do you think hit the hill on his rotation? Yep, happened twice. I also closed about four gaps as they developed. My VO2 HR is around 155-157, I had an avg HR of 157 with over half of the race above 163. I hit 177! After closing a 25 meter gap on the hill, I gassed and fell off the back, a consous decision. And saw Jack screaming of the front of the 5s about two laps later. I jumped into the pack as the 4s and 5s combined and finished the last 4 laps to a field sprint. I passed Jack but ken was two spots up.

All in all, a pretty good day of work. Resting today. Giro is Saturday w/Ken and Joe.

July12
Sorry Jack. Yard work, wife and rain.
Hope the BWR guys had better luck in bowie.

July 11
Time for some alone time. I head out around noon and get a couple of hours heading down to Jackson Shrine. Good ride, cleared the head. Gonna hit it a bit on Sunday, then a week of preps for the Giro de Coppi. Tuesday I'm gonna do some hill intervals then easy roll the rest of the weeek.

July 9th
21 miles in one hour three minutes. HEAVY head winds allow for some high tempo, low LT.

July 8th
An hour and a half at E-low Tempo. Legs are feeling great. I also scoped out a crit loop and a road loop on base. Jinksy, NSWC Dahlgren wants to host a bike race, Bill told me to get with you.

July 7th
I'm excited to get an easy rolling lunch ride in. When I show up at the gym to meet up with Ed M., I meet a new guy. He seems nice enough, then he mentions he's a MTB racer. OK, I've got five sprints today, let's see. Four of us head out. There's too much testosterone for an easy ride. I behave most the ride, take some long headwind pulls in my TEMPO Zone. They're hurting. As we roll into the last few miles, I have managed to get four sprints, about twenty minutes of good tempo and the rest E. The new guy says something like, do you have anything left in the tank? I think, hell yea, lets go. I grab a big gear and turn out a steady 80 rpm and bring it up to about 28 mph for the last 2-3 miles. DAMN, Bill's gonna be pissed. That wasn't keeping it easy AND I blew up a young(ish) MTB'r at the same time. : )

July 5th & 6th off, yea! Legs feel great. Easy week coming up.

July 4th
Scott came over, we hit the White Oak Loop plus. It was good to get 30 miles and flush out the legs. Sunday is rest and recovery, Monday starts a new week of suffering.
p.s. How do I get an invite to the Blue Train rides?

July 3rd
Meet at the shop for a couple E hours. I head out a couple hours early and get in my 3X30 Tempo then meeet at the shop. Scott, Bill, Steve and I head out. Ends up being a total of 4.5 hours of saddle time. One hell of a ride, fresh legs and a sore ass.