MEA wins National Championship at Masters Track - 9/4/08

This is my fairy tale and dream come true. My first track event and I won the women’s 2K pursuit ages 55 – 59 in the U.S. National Masters Track Championships. This year the National Masters (defined as 30+) Track championships were held at the Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose, CA. The gold medal is awesome and I get to wear the national championship jersey in races for one year. How in the world did RFA and I get ourselves into this? It started with the Beat the Clock "Day at the Track" event on August 16. We had such a blast riding TT road bikes on the track, with I finished first in the road bike category for the events that I did (2K, 3K and 4K pursuits). I looked at some track pursuit times for both the district and national races and realized that I could at least be competitive. Since the race was local, it was an easy decision to enter. The tougher challenge was to find track bikes, practice on the track with real track bikes, train for National Championships and be race ready in 11 days. It was RFA's job to pull it all together. We shared our plans with our coaches and they were fully supportive and helped us with a “fast track” training plan and equipment. Buying equipment was not feasible. One of the great things about the racing community is the camaraderie and shared goals that motivate one another to compete. Within 24 hours, we had two riders who loaned us track bikes in our size so that we could begin training immediately. The next weekend before the race, we were at the velodrome to take a beginner clinic. We felt very comfortable riding on the track with track bikes. We tweaked our training and went to the track the Saturday before the race with our coach for a practice session to check gearing and to practice starts. We signed up for two events – the 500 meter time trial and the 2K pursuit. Both events are raced on the track in heats with one rider starting at opposite ends of the track and chasing each other. The 500 meters is a full out sprint from a standing start. We used a 51/15 gear. The technical aspect is the ability to accelerate from a standing start and immediately negotiate the curve while standing and sprinting after the first curve. Then you drop to the aerobars and keep accelerating. The 2K pursuit is a sprint at the start and then settle in at an all out maximum effort for 3 minutes. On the track, the 2K pursuit is considered an endurance event.
The bikes: A kind and generous friend from Five Rings Cycling Center where we train loaned me his gorgeous Cervelo P3C track bike – with a few adjustments it was a pretty good fit. Hermes had a Felt track bike. Track bikes are fixed gear with no brakes or free wheel.
The UCI: This event falls under the UCI rules and every bike had to go through UCI inspection for each event. The officials had their UCI jig setup and a scale at the home and back stretch with a commissioner checking bikes. I heard this was the first time that they did this at the track nationals. Well, there was some chaos as racers found their bikes to be too light or seat setback / aerobar setup out of spec. I saw a couple of guys tape allen wrenches to their top tube to meet the weight requirements. Under a strict reading of the rules, the inspector could have rejected that solution because you cannot add weight that can be removed while riding. My goal for the 2K was sub-three minutes, so I was happy with my 2:59.65. I used a 51 x 15 which felt right but it is clear by my splits that I need to really work on the start. First lap was 35:04, with subsequent lap times of 27:53, 28.66, 29.53, 29.34 and 29.32. My pursuit person faded after 3 laps and I easily passed her on the 5th lap. I also did the 500 m the day before for practice and placed 4th (out of 5) with a dismal time of 50:13. (My 500 meter split in the 2K was 49:02 – a bit better). The winner was Allyson Vought with a time of 44.08. That said, it was a "PR" given that I never did or practiced a 500 m before – and I did get a medal and a place on the podium. Doing that event was also a good way to get my nervousness under control, and I was able to put those disappointing results out of my mind for the next day's 2K.
RFA's narrative of his events: My goal for the 500 meters and 2K pursuit was to beat someone. Hopefully, it would a man in my age group. The 55 –59 age group is one of the toughest and is populated by former National Champions and State Champions and generally very experienced track racers. I was pleased with my 500 meter result. - 46.12 seconds beating another racer by 1.56 seconds. This was great experience and the first 500 meter track race of my life was age 59 in the US Nationals and I beat one guy. Life is good. In the 2K pursuit, the goal and situation was the same. However, now I am an experienced track racer. I line up on the home stretch with my competition on the back stretch. As the 5 beeps count down, on the long tone, I am off. Immediately, there is a double gun shot signaling a false start (the other guy). The announcer says it would be great if the riders do a U turn on the track to speed things up. A U turn on the track. Hey, I just learned how to get on and off of this bike 7 days ago. I am going around. I did not see how a U turn was possible and even if it was, not by me. I came around and got back into position. This time, we had good start. My tactical plan was simple. Accelerate up to speed like I did in the 500 meters and then settle in for the first lap. On lap 2, I eased off every so slightly. On lap 3,4,5, and 6, I stepped on the gas increased speed each time. Laps 5 and 6, I was still accelerating and bleeding from the eyeballs. When I heard the bell on the final lap, I gave it everything I had. My time was 3:03.34. I beat my man by 2.74 seconds. Also, beat another guy by 3.31 seconds. I am really happy with my result for my first two track races. It was a great experience and shows it is never too late to try something new. The Worlds in Sydney next year. I mean how can you top winning the Nationals as your first race?

San Bruno Hill Climb - noon ride - Sept. 10, 2008

Today I went on the noon Genentech Bicycling Club San Bruno hill climb. The weather was pleasant - in the 60's and sunny. Windy, but that is normal for South San Francisco. There were only three of us - Alex, Susan and me. I took off on the first leg of the climb and waited for the others at the gate. Alex rode with me up to the radio tower - he is a strong climber. Susan rode part way up and we met her on the descent. It was an invigorating ride and a glorious day. I needed this since I have to get ready for the Mt. Tam hill climb at the end of the month.

New Shimano R300 cycling shoes

I bought a new pair of cycling shoes - Shimano R300. They are custom fit and very light and cool. I love my full carbon white Sidis, but was looking for a shoe with a wider toe box. The Sidis are very narrow. I have neuromas in both feet that cause excruciating pain when it is hot and my feet swell. The Shimano R300 may help that problem. RFA also has a pair and likes them very much. The Shimano R300 definitely is roomier in the toe box and I like the silver color.

Day at the Track - Hellyer Velodrome - August 16, 2008

On Saturday, August 16, 2008, RFA and I participated in the Beat the Clock “Day at the Track” event at the Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose, CA for an afternoon of time trial events. Most of the money goes to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The organizers received special permission to use both road and track bikes on the track. We went to the Velodrome to watch some races and thought it would be fun to try. This was a special opportunity to check it out on our TT bikes. There were different categories for the track bikes and the road bikes, so the track bikes were not on the track at the same time as the road bikes. I didn’t know quite what to expect, it was a blast and more fun than I ever expected. But it turned out to be a very long day.
RFA and I arrived at the Velodrome just before noon. We wanted to have enough time to set up our canopy that we borrowed from the LBS. Our friend Kevin met us there and helped us set up “camp” in the infield. It took several trips back and forth to the car to haul the bikes, trainers, coolers, etc. Soon the whole infield was full of equipment, canopies and a lot of our fellow team mates in Webcor green. The temperature was warm with a nice breeze but the sun was hot. The canopy saved us because it would have been unbearable to warm up on the trainers in the direct sun.
The organizers opened the track first to the track bikes and then to the road bikes for warm-up. I thought riding on the banked track would be challenging, but we all got used to it pretty quickly. There is also a small loop in the infield area for riding but this was used basically just to keep the legs spinning, not for serious warm-up.
Finally the events started:
Events:
500m (1.5 laps)
kilo (3 laps)
2k (6 laps)
Team 4k (12 laps) 4-person teams; you can choose your team the day of the event.
3k (9 laps)
4k (12 laps)
The 500 m was run as a time trial (one rider at a time). The remaining individual events were run as individual pursuits with two riders will be on the track at the same time, starting on opposite sides of the track. There were timers, holders, lap cards, and bell ringers – the “real deal.” For each event, the men track went off first, followed by the women track, men road and women road. There were about 47 participants and you sign up for multiple events. RFA signed up for the 2k and the 3k and I signed up for the 2k, 3k and 4k.
Sitting in the lawn chairs under the canopy with a picnic cooler gave it an element of a day at the beach. All that was missing was the dog, the frisbee, the beer and the sand. It was after five o’clock before I got to do my first event – that was the biggest challenge – trying to stay warmed up so the engine would be ready to fire when the whistle blew. RFA looked good in his races and finished in the middle of the men road racers. I had a good start but had some trouble staying between the black and red line at times. Any time I glanced down to check my speed and cadence I would drift up and lose some time. I quickly recognized at that speed, you just need to look ahead. The turns were coming before you knew it. Before I knew it, it was over – I knew I beat my pursuit competitor because I was closing in on her at the end. I ended up with a 3:06 – not bad for the first time and good enough to come in first place in the women’s road category. Now I was energized. There were only two women who did the 3K individual pursuit and I lapped my competitor on the 8th lap. That was sweet. I did one cool down lap on the apron and it was time for the 3K! At least I was warmed up! Initially I was the only woman (track or road) for the 3K, but I talked my competitor into joining me. The 12 laps felt more like a time trial because you had to pace yourself for the distance. I still felt great, lapping my competitor on the 9th lap. My average heart rate was about 160 for the 2K and the 3K and about 152 for the 4K. What a great work-out! I am hooked. Rich and I are going to the Saturday morning beginner training session at the Velodrome. I can see it now – the stable of bikes is growing.

Yellow Roses

Photo: Hamming it up for the camera

Winning is sweeter with yellow roses. RFA surprised me last week with a bouquet of beautiful yellow roses and told me how proud he was of me for my performance in the Esparto time trial last Sunday. I am so lucky to have such a great husband, soul mate, best friend (and yes, bike slave).

First Place at Esparto Time Trial - August 10, 2008

Esparto Time Trial, Esparto, CA

August 10, 2008

Women Cat 4

Place: 1

Field: 10

Time: 48:50

I was looking forward to Esparto and hoping for good results. This time it all came together for that seemingly elusive victory. At the Sattley district championship TT, I missed a second place podium finish by 11 seconds. Here, only 11 seconds separated first and third, so maybe there is justice after all. Second place finisher was 48:51 – one second behind. Almost as an afterthought, I stuck my empty super-aerodynamic water bottle on the bike. Who knows? – Maybe that made the difference . . . . The Cat 4 women (all ages) started at 9:44 while the temperature was still moderate (mid-seventies) – sunny and dry with a light wind from the north. I was the first Cat 4 woman out (again, in alphabetical order – I am definitely going to change my last name to Zallen!) There was a 4 minute gap between the W 1/2/3 group, so I had no rabbit. The remaining Cat 4 women started at one minute intervals. We had a holder for the start. Purportedly for traffic reasons, the TT started around a corner bend (which also happened to be on a slight incline). That said, I had a good start. Based on my results at the Dunlap ITT, my goal was sub-49 minutes. The first leg headed north into the head wind (it seemed stronger than it was). I was a bit concerned when I saw my speed drop below 22 mph at times, but I figured that I could make up that time somewhere (although we would never get a tail wind due to the "L" shape course design, i.e., north on a 2 mile leg, right turn east onto the long leg, turnaround and finish westbound just before the intersection). Cross winds on the long legs but no gusts.Although I did this course last year, I forgot about the sets of rollers, but was happy to see those figuring they would work in my favor. After the turnaround, I saw two other Cat 4 women, noting that the two minute woman had just passed the one-minute woman. It was hard to judge the time gap, but I did realize that I didn't have a huge cushion. That was the kick that I needed to really push on the rollers on the way back and go for a strong finish.I was almost afraid to look at the results when they were posted – agony or ecstasy?? First place – by one second. BTW, last year my time at Esparto was 52:33 – improved by 3:43. Last year was on my Orbea Orca in the drops (no aerobars); this year on my new Orbea Ordu TT bike. Similar setup both years as far as TT helmet, booties, skinsuit and wheels. So improvement was due in part to the TT bike, in part better due to a better engine for which I give credit to the Russian coaching/training program I started last December.

Russian Training Ride - Sunday, August 3, 2008

RFA and I met the group at 9 AM at Canada/92. The temp in the high 50's with a wind chill, but the sun was out and we knew the micro-climate would soon change to nicer weather. Vlad drove the support van (appears that Dmitrij is still recovering from his trip to Belarus). There were only 3 other guys, including K. and Russian L. As predicted, by the time we got to Edgewood (4 miles down the road), it was warm to shed our leg warmers, arm warmers, base layer and vest. We climbed up 84 - I stayed on L's wheel the entire time and we beat everyone to the top. Vlad was happy with my performance. E. redlined and fell back half way up. We descended 84 (there was a bad accident with a motorcycle down and a damaged vehicle, but fortunately the police let us go through - hope no serious injuries - they were clearing the vehicles when we went through) and on to San Gregorio. Good paceline to San Gregorio - I didn't take a pull - K. and E. were content to do the work. I needed to save something for the climb back. We pacelined back (this time we all took turns) until the climbing began. Again, I stayed on L's wheel the whole way - K fell back but got some assistance from Vlad in the van to haul him back up to us. L. charged at the end, I stayed with him; K went into the red zoen and fell bcak again. L. is very strong on the flats - he pulled us back on Canada through 20+ mph head winds. The testosterone took over and the boys charged after a guy who passed us on the downhill. I lost their wheel and really had to work to get back. Stats: 55 miles, average speed 17.8 mph (significantly faster than the July 20 ride); 4782 feet climbing. Quick shower, slipped into the Skins, lunch, nap and off to Equinox for a steam, shower, stretching and foam rollers. RFA and I were pretty tired - slept like babies even after napping.