While on the one hand it may be odd to start a blog on endurance cycling with a 42 mile road race, it makes total sense on the other hand because everyone has to start somewhere. 42 miles isn't considered a long distance to cycle in my world, but it's all about perspective. A big part of coaching is changing someone's perspective; redefining what is possible. And so I will start with the short version of El Tour.
I drove the course with Anne a couple weeks ago to scout it out, and rode the course on the Kestrel this past Saturday. I was looking for many things related to race tactics. Given that there will be over 1,000 people at the start line, I was looking first for how hard the beginning of the course is. It starts with a few hundred feet of climbing, which is good and bad. It will thin the pack quite a bit, but then climbing is my weakness. Luckily, the climbs are just enough that (I think) it will spread people out quickly, but not so bad that they'll hurt me too much. Besides, if I'm maneuvering around slower people, I'll probably be riding slower than race pace anyway. So the first decision I have to make is whether to get there early enough to get a spot at the front but then start cold, or get there later and start farther back but warmed up? After riding it last Saturday, I think I should get there EARLY. I want to ride my own race as much as possible. The last thing I want is to be stuck behind slow people 12 riders wide and not be able to breeze past.
The elevation profile isn't nice, but it's not really that bad. We start with a few miles of rollers that should scatter people quite a bit. Then there's plenty of descending at between 1 & 3-4%, which is perfect for me. Miles and miles of FAST where I can use my weight to my advantage. I should be able to pick people off pretty quickly on Tangerine. After crossing I-10, however, the course is basically a 1% climb for 20+ miles to the finish. And while the roads until I-10 are in pretty good condition, after that the road turns quite bumpy. It really starts at Airline and Lambert roads, which are especially bad. I don't think there's a smooth line anywhere on those roads. Silverbell is bumpy on the sides but with the road closed and hopefully riding my own race or better yet sticking with a paceline, I should be able to ride in the middle of the road with a smoother line. Bumps turn horizontal (forward) motion into vertical motion, which means bumps slow you down. The greater your velocity, the greater the effect. This section of the race really requires a lower tire pressure, but is it worth the higher rolling resistance on the rest of the course? I think the balance will be somewhere about 110psi.
Equipment choice for this race is based on the course and my weight. The course has few turns which means I don't need an expensive, grippy-cornering race tire. In fact, the light weight of such a tire might be a huge disadvantage if the rough pavement causes a flat. Once again there is a balance to be struck. Light enough to ride & climb fast, tough enough to handle the nasty road, and wide enough to provide cushion on the rough roads which will both protect my rim and reduce the slowing effect of very bumpy roads. In the end I've chosen to race with the WTB Solano 25mm in the front and a Vittoria Rubino Tech 28mm in the rear. The WTB is very light and will corner well. Because the front of the bike takes less of the weight, and abuse, I don't mind riding a lighter tire on the front. My choice for the rear is for flat protection, rim protection, and to maintain as much speed as I can on the bumpy second half of the race. The tire is heavy at 380g (compared to 240ish for the WTB), but I think the durability and deflection are worth the weight. One flat tire and the race may as well be over.
I was able to finish the course with a 17.1mph average speed last Saturday, and that was with heavier wheels & build-ups: tire liners, slime tubes, and a Vittoria Rubino Tech on the front & back. As it was, the bike weighed in at 21.98lbs. My total ride weight was 264.78lbs. Obviously the biggest area of opportunity here is me, and I'm working on that, but I'm also trying to get the bike under 20lbs. I'll find out tomorrow when I get the Kestrel race ready. In the end, my total race weight should be under 260lbs, and 4-5lbs can make a huge difference.
I've also debated between a 12-27 and a 12-25 cassette. While there may be just a few grams difference, I think that's negligible. The 27 does give me a bit better climbing, but I don't think I used the 27 for climbing the course on Saturday. The 25 gives me a better choice of gears, and I can say for sure that my recent training rides on the 27 have left something to be desired in terms of gear length. This one's still up for debate, but I'm leaning towards the 25.
I'm running a SRAM compact carbon crankset with ceramic bearings. Better climbing (which is generally a good thing around here), stiff, lightweight, and rotates effortlessly. Otherwise the bike is kitted in DuraAce 7800. The wheels I'm racing are Mavic Ksyrium SL's. They're a few years old now, but have seen very little wear (being reserved for special occasions). I weigh the set as 1540g, or 3.4lbs. There are lighter wheels, to be sure, but these are light for me as well as being pretty darned strong.
The frame is a 2006 Kestrel Talon. It's no superlight, but then neither am I. I choose to believe that it's aero design actually makes a difference. The bike is pretty comfortable and does a decent job of smoothing out moderately bumpy roads, but it's on the stiff side and it certainly bucks at high speeds over rough roads (like coming down Swan at nearly 50mph).
So the bike is almost ready, but am I? Mentally, yes, I think so. I'm sure I'll get a bit nervous, but I have my plan laid out. Get there early, ride in circles to keep warm, but hold my place at the front of the start line. Start out strong but steady over the rollers, kick ass on the descents, and then just keep up on the second half of the race. Drafting on Silverbell would be great. Drink every mile, eat about every 30, and make sure that eating is made super-simple. No packages to open! Physically, I'm not so sure. Mostly I just need to recover over the next few days. I was going to do a recovery ride Wednesday, but I think I may have a slight quad pull in my right leg...so...we'll see. I NEED to get my nutrition right over the next 3 days to make sure I'm fresh & ready. The biggest thing I need to do is to lose another couple pounds. My personal weight last Saturday was 229. Today it's 227. Yeah, can I please cut another 2 or 3 off by Saturday??? Well, that will always be my best & cheapest way to cut total ride weight and increase speed and climbing. Sleep is important, too, which is advice I should heed right now.
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