Five Rings Cycling Work Out - June 27, 2008

So how do you spend your Friday night? Rich and I headed off to Five Gym Cycling Center (home of the Russians) after work. Vladimir is gone for two weeks - back home to Belarus for a visit - so we are at the mercy of Dmitrij. Friday nights are quiet at the center, so it is just Rich and me. That is dedication. More speed climbing (is that an oxymoron??) with the magnetic resistance on. It is diaboliocal. Feels so good when it is over. Pre-workout weigh in: 108.6; post-workout weigh-in: 106.2.

Training Ride - June 15, 2008

The Russians planned a hard 70 mile ride to the coast today but the weather called for a change in plans. When we met at 9 AM at Canada Road and Highway 92, it was cold, the wind was howling (we had to seek shelter along the vehicle) and Skyline was all fogged in. We headed south on Canada, out Mountain Home, up Alpine, down Arastradero, right on Purissima, right on Elena for a short climb, around Foothill College; returning back out Foothill, Sand Hill, and Whiskey Hill. We had a smaller group of about 8 of us. The weather quickly warmed up, although the coast still would have been nasty. A good 42 miles - easy compared to the brutal ride out to the coast and back.

Training Ride - June 29, 2008

No Dmitrij Sunday training ride today so RFA and I headed off on our own training ride on our singles. We slept in until 8 AM (which was delightful after getting up both weekend days the previous week for races) and didn't get rolling on the road until about 10:30 starting at Canada and Edgewood. I felt some tightness in the the backs of my legs when I first got up after yesterday's "practice crit" at the Velogirls clinic, but that quickly dissipated with warm up. We headed north on Canada for a few miles of warm-up and then turned around. There was still a chill in the air. We headed out Tripp Road and up Portola Valley - stopping for a bio break at Windy Hills and to strip off the base layer, vest and arm warmers. Down Alpine and out Arastradero, Purissima and the short climb up Elena, around Foothill College, back out Foothill with the mandatory stop at Peet's in Los Altos Hills. Not much action at Peet's - the Webcor A ride was just coming in as we were leaving. Back home up Alpine, down Portola, Mountain Home, and back out Canada to the car. A good 42 miles (2:30); a good solid training ride with a focus on speed climbing. Took a nap & then off to Equinox for a weight work out (back and chest), situps, stretching and a steam.

Tandem Mixed 110+ - District Time Trial Championship - June 8, 2008

After competing in the 20K Women 55-59 time trial, 2 hours later, Rich and I competed in the 40K 110+ mixed tandem category. The air was warming up and my lungs were feeling better. My legs felt pretty good although I am sure that the 20K took something out of them. Some of the registered teams didn't show, so it was Laura Lindgren (national TT record holder in the 20K W 55-59) and her husband Allan. We were lined up at the start line and then "bang!" - sounded like a big gun shot. Our rear tire had blown - apparently the air expanded as the temperatures warmed. I was in disbelief. We did a very fast tire change with the help of some great folks and we were able to start with a new start time. So at this point we were the last team out and no one in range to chase. (We did pass one unfortunate couple who was walking their tandem - an apparent mechanical). We worked hard together and RFA did a great job. We finished in 1:02 which was 4 minutes faster than last year's time. We got together with Laura and Allen afterwards for lunch and coffee in Truckee. Great time, great competition and great company.

RFA - Dunlap Time Trial - June 1, 2008

Here is RFA on his new Cervelo TT bike at the Dunlap Time Trial

W 55-59 District Time Trial Championship - June 8, 2008

Photos:
MEA on the course; the W 55-59 group (MEA on the far right); MEA crossing the finish line

I competed in Northern Califiornia/Nevada district time trial championship in Sattley in the 20k W 55-59+ category race and then 2 hours later in the 40k tandem 110+ mixed category race. Seemed like a good idea at the time . . . .

I had a start time of 8:07 for the 20k (field of 4). We spent the might in Truckee and I didn’t sleep well. I had a good warm-up on the trainer and although it was still quite chilly (still about 40 degrees), the skies were sunny and the winds light. I just never felt right from the start – my legs felt great but I had trouble breathing. I think it was a combination of the altitude and irritation from the dry cold air. It was inevitable that Laura Lindgren (she set the national record at Sattley last year in this category) would be #1, but I thought I had a good chance at placing second since I had competed against the other two women at the Beat the Clock TT on Canada two weeks earlier or at Dunlap the week before and had beaten them both by 1-2 minutes. That was not meant to be – I ever got my mojo. The three of us – Phyllis, Marsha, and I finished within 12 seconds of each other!

Results:
1. Laura Lindgren Velo Allegro 30:47.0
2. Phyllis Olrich Webcor/AV 32:31.3
3. Marsha Kirschbaum Left Coast 32:38.0
4. Mary Ellen Allen Webcor/AV 32:42.8

It was a great competition, but I am still disappointed.

MEA's Dunlap Memorial Time Trial Report - June 1, 2008

Category: W 3/4

Place: 8 (50:01) out of a field of 23

The Dunlap TT was moved to a new course this year – flat 31k loop with 6 turns (L-R-R-R- L-R). Law enforcement monitored the first turn and a 10-second penalty imposed for crossing lanes. I had a good warm up on the trainer and it was great to see so many Webcor folks. This was my second TT on my TT bike, following Beat the Clock the previous week. The W 3/4s followed the W Pro 1/2s with a 2 minute gap in between. I was first out in the W 3/4s at 11:44 AM with 30 second start times thereon. Since I had no rabbit to chase, one of my goals was simply don't get passed. Although the winds were beginning to pick up, I opted to stay with the disk. I had a smooth start. I was pretty conservative on the turns and got out of the aerobars for better control. There were significant headwinds on the longest 5.5 mile stretch. After the next right turn, we had the cross winds to deal with. I got thrown a bit by a big gust. Finally, some tail winds – speed picks up but it seems the tail winds never compensate for the head winds. I was able to approach my max heart rate at the end, so I think I executed my strategy fairly well – and could have pushed harder during the race. No one passed me and I finished in 50:01, good enough for 8th place.

MEA's Mt. Diablo Hill Climb Report - June 22, 2008

Photos: RFA hanging out before the start; MEA with Webcor team mate Phyllis at the start; MEA off at the start; MEA coming out of the start house


Place: 4th out of a field of 8 in the W45+ category with a time of 35:38. I was looking forward to this race but I didn't have time to really focus on hill climbing as a result of all of the time trials from the end of May to the present (Beat the Clock (x2), Dunlap and Sattley). Indeed, I did the Beat the Clock TT the day before (with a PR of 26:30) – definitely a Zone 5 weekend. The 10k course went up the Northgate side of Mt. Diablo with a total elevation gain of 1740 feet. The first 1.5 miles were rollers followed by the real fun with grades of up to 15%. My only previous ride up Mt. Diablo was the low key hill climb last fall which went up the south side so, to my detriment, I lacked the first-hand course knowledge.I was the first one out of the start house for the W 45+ at 8:23 so we had the pleasure of warm temps and light winds – most of the TT start times are based on alphabetical order so, as an "A", going out first is my accepted destiny. (My Webcor team mate Phyllis advised me to change my name to Zallen.) The Elite 4 women started ahead of us and the Pro Elite 1/2/3s were behind. The start house and ramp was a first for me and quite cool (although I witnessed an elite 4 male start in too high a gear and almost go off the side of the ramp). The TT itself was rather uneventful; I passed a few of the Elite 4 women early on and was passed (effortlessly) by a Pro Elite 1/2/3 woman near the top. I raced at a pretty steady AT throughout and felt good, but could have done better simply by knowing the mountain. It was great to have Phyllis as a racing mate – if I had to miss out on third place by 7 seconds, at least it was to her! And I even got a pound of Peet's coffee and a few bucks for 4th, so how I can complain?? A really well-organized race – glad I did it and now I have a benchmark for next year . . . .

Velogirls Bike Skills Clinic - June 28, 2008

Today I participated in a 4 hour racing skills and tactics clinic put on by Lorri Lee Lown of Velogirls. There were 11 women (women only clinic) ages ranging 15 - 58. It was held in Rdwood City near the Bay in a business park. We were all Cat 4s, most of us with some limited road race and/or crits experience. We did some group riding skills and drills (holding a wheel, stealing a wheel (which involved some close contact and gentle bumping), threading the needle). One of the drills involved snatching a dollar bill from the bottom of a rider's shorts and I can't believe I won that drill. Next we worked on tactical drills -sprinting and lead outs. It took a while for us to execute the lead out but we at least got the concept. We were divided into teams for a training crit and each team had to develop a strategy. Given that I am a time trialist and a strong rider, our strategy was that my teammates would help me and then I would go out with 3 laps to go. I got a little impatient and broke away early - I felt strong and comfortable out front. Two sprinters got me at the finish line but it was alot of fun. The clinic was a nice supplement to my Russian training. A supportive and competitive group!

American Velodrome Challenge - June 21, 2008

Rich and I drove out to the Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose, CA Saturday evening to enjoy festivities at the track with our Webcor team mates. This was Day 2 of the American Velodrome Challenge. This was our first time at the track and it was really awesome. Those guys can really fly. It was a beautiful warm clear evening. On the drive down we could clearly see the observatory on the top of Mount Hamilton. Testarossa Vineyards hosted wine, cheese, fruit and veggies.

I think Rich would do well with some of the track events like pursuit (but that would mean another bike! Yikes!). I think I will stick to the road. The Beat the Clock rescheduled the "Day at the Track" event for August 16 where we can time trial on our road bikes on the track. I will definitely do that.

MEA's Beat the Clock Time Trial Report - Sat. June 21, 2008

I wasn't planning on doing this time trial because I was doing the Mount Diablo Hill Climb Time Trial the following day (June 22) and I wanted to have "fresh" legs for that climbing event. I was also traveling (to Washington DC for a conference) and wouldn't get back until late Friday night. But my coach gave me the "green light (it's only 10 miles) and I needed to "open up the legs" after all that sitting on the plane. And I really wanted to do another event on my new TT bike. One more reason - Rich was also doing it. So up bright and early at 5:30 AM, warmed up on the trainer and ready to go at my 7:34 start time. The weather was perfect - warm dry air and no wind. I was hoping to do under 27 minutes (previous time the end of May on this course was 27:11). I was the first woman out with no one to chase. I got up to anaerobic threshold and was feeling good. Good turnaround and pushed hard on the hills on the way back. No one passed me. I finished with a time of 26:30 - a new PR! I was thrilled and felt somewhat vindicated because I beat the woman who beat me at the Sattley district time trial championships two weeks earlier by 56 seconds. The winning woman was Christine Thorburn with a time of 22:01 - she is a pro on the Webcor Builders women's pro team. Rich also had a PR with a time of 27:54. In the afternoon, we went to Equinox for a steam, weight workout (back and chest), sit ups and stretching and foam roller work out. Then off to the Hellyer Velodrome for a Webcor party and watch the track racing.

MEA's Beat the Clock Time Trial Report - May 24, 2008

The very end of April I got my dream time trial bike – 2008 Orbea Ordu (named “Wicked”). The month of May I have been getting in some practice sessions and getting used to riding on the aerobars and gradually feeling more comfortable and confident with the speed and being able to use my power in the TT position. I never rode a TT bike before and even little things like shifting took some time to adjust to (e.g., until I got my arm and hand position correct I had to lift my elbow up to get enough leverage to shift – it is all so different from riding my Orbea Orca road bike). Saturday May 24th was the Beat the Clock time trial on Canada Road and time to put Wicked (and me) to the test. The time trial series is a fund raising event for the Lance Armstrong Foundation http://www.scaledup.com/beattheclock/. There were 100 entries (registration closed at 100 entries) consisting of individual men, women, teams and tandems going out at one minute intervals. Rich was also doing the individual TT and we both had early start times because we were going to then follow up with doing the TT on the tandem. Rich had a 7:01 start time and I had a 7:04 start time; tandem start time was 8:38. The weather was “iffy” with drizzle and wet roads on the drive to the start; temperature was fine in the low 50’s. Fortunately, the roads were dry on the course with overcast skies. The winds were moderate in the early morning and were noticeably stronger later when we did the tandem TT. My individual time for the 9.7 mile course was 27:11 (7th out of the 19 women finishers with aero). The course is an out and back with 400 feet of elevation gained.

I was really happy with my result considering (1) my first TT on a TT bike; (2) I beat numerous Cat 1/2/3 women racers; and (3) with one exception, the women who had better times were pros or Cat 1/2 (e.g., a 21 year-old Cat 2 racer beat me by 13 seconds). I am a Cat 4. The winning woman’s time was 23:36 by Kathryn Curi Matthis (pro Webcor Builders team). I am totally psyched for the upcoming TTs including the Northern California district championships at Sattley in a couple weeks.