Ooops I Did It Again...another road race plus Kelso

Yes...another road race; the KW Classic.  Why, pray-tell, (what the hell is ‘pray-tell’ anyways??) would a mountain biker do one road race, not to mention a second one??  Well, it is all about training for mountain biking.  I have started to do the Kelso mountain bike race series as a training tool for the bigger races.  The Kelso races are not my usual type of mountain bike race.  They are 3 laps of an approximately 6 km loop, usually turning out to be a race of less than an hour (so far, most of my races have been more endurance type races).  So the Kelso races are a mad sprint, basically redlining for an hour or less. Usually it takes me an hour just to warm up.   But they are huge fun...a lot of local riders, and they are sponsored by my LBS, BicycleWorks.  Mostly, it is a great training tool; keeps you in a ‘race’ frame of mind, and ensures one balls out workout at least once a week.

The series started two weeks ago (May 21^st).  The first race went relatively well for me; a lung busting climb near the start of the lap, a fun, very fast descent at the end of the lap, and flat singletrack in between (a chance to stand up and redline).  I came in third in my category (plus I beat Fig ☺), and surely would have done better if I would not have strayed off course (dumbass with my head down missed a turn) by about 150 metres (then crashed pushing the pace trying to catch back up!).  Here is a map of my ride...the nice red track is my detour...

Oh well...keep my head up next time I thought.  However, race two was cancelled/postponed due to lightning and thunder showers.  Hence, the road race.  As a last minute decision, Fig talked me into doing the road race as a replacement for the cancelled Kelso race.  A 7 lap race of a 4.6 km loop...just under an hour...similar total time to the Kelso race...almost seemed like a good idea.  Except, it was a road race...what don’t I like about road racing??  First, I don’t like the pack riding...racing at 40km/hr or faster centimetres away from a competitor on all 4 sides of you is not comfortable.  I also don’t like the strategy involved, drafting off others to let them do all the work, then sprinting past them at the end seems (is) less than honourable and is not a true comparative contest of abilities (like the ass-hat who drafts everyone during a group ride then sprints past when they think the group is coming up to a Strava segment...please feel free to ride by your own damn self).  Basically, the typical road race strategy smacks of an inability to accomplish the objective on one’s own, and the need to have to use others to do so.  This is just one of those general characteristics our pappies raised us to not engage in...to be able to, hopefully, proudly stand on one’s own.  Anyways, enough of that rant...holy moly, sorry about that.  Perhaps what I really need is this?

 

So, other than that, the road race was a great training opportunity...so off we went.  Lois knows how I feel about road racing, and I woke up to this on race morning. 

 

Yes...I am a lucky man.  Anyways, enough of scoring wife points...back on topic...

The race report:  I led for the first couple of laps of the race...I wanted to take off and see who could hold on (typical MTB strategy)...plus I don’t feel comfortable in a pack (did I mention that?).  6 other racers held on...we dropped the rest.  Fig and I took turns leading for most of the middle of the race, and then Fig punched it and led for the last couple of laps.  With about 1.5 kms to go, I knew I didn’t have enough juice for a final sprint, so I tried to charge and break away from this point.  This dropped a couple more racers, but in the end I got out sprinted...I came in 5^th...Fig came in 2^nd.  Actually, Fig was quite impressive leading for most of the second half of the race, and the final sprint.  It seems, Fig is either completely on his game, or totally not on at all...and he was on for this one...well done Fig.

 

 Fig is actually keeping score, in the 6 races we have done so far this year (including the first Kelso race), I have beat him 4 times (all the mountain bike races), and he has beat me twice (the two road races we have done)...so we have a competitive friendly (?) rivalry going.

As far as training goes, I am continuing to maintain a structured training schedule.  A ‘structured’ training schedule is important; training is much more than just riding, and a proper structured training schedule is much more effective than unstructured training.  Proper, structured training means proper timing of specific training activities, and also incorporates a structured nutrition plan.

I have been lucky enough to get in a good road training ride with Fig and Centurion (two very strong riders), and a great MTB training ride with O’Cup racer CptSydor (this guy is fast!!).

Here is a pic of him...he is so fast his wheels don’t even touch the ground!!   J

Chasing him for a training loop wiped me out!!

 

So after yesterday’s race, today training plan calls for a longer recovery type road ride (it rained too much in the last two days to go MTB), and tomorrow is Race#2 of the Kelso series...

Stay posted!!