Now Playing: Goals assessment
Topic: cycling
I had four goals for this year:
- This was going to be my TT year.
- I was going to drop weight.
- I was going to limit my racing.
- I was going to increase my cadence.
TT year:
I didn't make that happen. I raced in the 20K and the 40K and the Senior Olympic race. I flatted in the 20K, rode a decent race in the 40K and Senior Oly. The increase in time between last year's 40K and this year's 40K can be accounted for by my not using aero bars. I felt stronger this year, but that's subjective. Maybe I didn't push quite as hard.
So, why no other TTs? Gas prices. I had planned to drive to a number of TTs near Iowa City. No way to afford that.
Drop weight.
Yeah, I did for a while before going to Europe. Then I stopped. Honestly, I just ate more and drank beer. I won't flaggelate myself because that's just a different form of self-aggrandizement.
Limit racing
No and yes. In absolute numbers of races, I'll probably do the same number this year as last year, assuming I do all four cyclocross races. I haven't been driving long distances to do races. I cut the TTs out.
What I did do was to add a couple of events: the Balltown Classic, the Gran Fondo, and the Metamora 4x50. I took on Balltown in preparation for the Gran Fondo. And after not finishing Balltown, I wanted to do Metamora, a race/ride that hadn't existed when I made my race schedule for the year.
What also happened was that I finally got going and put the big red bike back together into a lovely cross bike. That will extend my season but in a good way, I think. CX races are short. I've been doing long, long rides. East Village CX will be 25 minutes + 2 laps. Basically, I have to warm up for an hour and then hit it hard from the git-go.
Cadence and gearing
Definite yes. I now choose to ride at 85rpm in short(er) rides. I also use a higher rpm when climbing. That is not true across the board, though. I found that, in the second half of the double-century I completed and in the second half of the one I did not, I needed to grind big gears to give my legs a different feeling. High-speed spinning was burning out my legs, or at least that was the feeling I had.
Summary
I did not meet two of my four goals. I met the other two.
I also found that I can ride a lot farther than I ever thought. And I've had some good climbing days. I had not planned on those results.
I have not ridden a criterium this year. I've ridden only a couple of regular road races. This feels odd because I don't go to the same events that my teammates have been competing in, other than to officiate.
But I'm also not burned out. I did that to myself a couple of years ago, both running and cycling. In August, I was just dead. Now, I feel pretty good.
So what for the rest of the year...and into the next
For the short term, I need to ride the course for the 6-hour.
For cx season, I need to do hill repeats and sprint work, either on the bike or on the trainer. I also need to work on my dismount and hurdling. So, I need to run, too.
And, I need to continue to ride as much outside as possible through the fall and winter. I need to schedule trainer time.
Or I have to be satisfied with the results I get. To some extent, I have come to that conclusion. I don't see myself putting in massive amounts of time on training. But I have the equipment, and I can find some time. So, I should be able to find some improvement.
