Hall of Fame 'Cross race (and more cowbell!)

Took part in the Hall of Fame cyclocross race in Augusta, NJ yesterday. All the proceeds from the race went towards the cycling hall of fame. the race was also #7 of the NJCC (New Jersey Cross cup).

Well, the Indian summer had finally broken then night before due to a large cold front whipping across the country. magically, it was sunny the next morning, but cold. Chad and I drove out to Augusta (made the trip in 1 hr thanks to my nutso driving skilllzz).

The course was held at the Skylands ball park. The course was pretty interesting, although not my all-time favorite. Having the course wind through the ballpark itself was a pretty good idea, though...

There was a long paved section, but the wind was so strong that you couldn't really do anything with it. There were also more incline sections than a normal cross race, which I knew I wouldn't enjoy (but that's just the 'cross course telling my fat ass to lose more weight)

When the race started, there was a pretty long starting sprint. being stronger in that area, i was able to position myself well. after the first lap, the rest of the race was me doing damage control (trying to let as few people pass me as possible). The uphill sections, as i predicted, where not fun. i was able to hunker down and make up time on the asphalt whenever i could, but it was super windy. I was doing well on the technical stuff, but again, uphill sections are no fun when you're at threshold the entire time. Ah well, such it the nature and beauty of our sport.

I ended up coming in 23rd our of 35. Happy with the results. as long as I don't come in last, the cross race is a success!


The A Race was good to Watch. Todd of NYC Velo got a nice gap and won by about 20 seconds. Andrew (the owner of the shop) also raced. He's probably one of the nicest bike shop owners I know. He's great to talk to and loves shooting the breeze. Always a good time.





For the record, I think NYC Velo's Team kits are the snazziest ones out there. I'd love to ride in those colors...



to see all the pics from the race, click HERE

I've got one more race next week before nationals. it'll be a good tune up race. make sure everythings going well, work on some technical stuff, and most of all, enjoy the course.

I'm excited about nationals, but nervous. Nationals is being held in Providence. I'll be driving up to Boston that Friday and staying the weekend. I'll be meeting up with Jay. Should be a great time. I'm itchin' for some chowdah. I'm going to be racing in the B race since they aren't organizing a C race (which i find a little stupid...). consequently, there's over 170 people signed up for the B race. should be a fantastic mess. As long as I don't get mixed up in any pile ups, I'm just going to keep my head down, stay on rhythm, and do my best. (and hopefully not come in last.) After the race, I'm going to get drunk and watch the other races. you can be damn sure I'm bringing my cowbell.


I bet Christopher Walken would love a good cross race. Right up his alley.


The equipment award of the week goes out to Greyhound Juice. That stuff kept my legs nice and warm and my lower back (relatively) loose. Watch out for their super strength stuff, it's pretty hot. It comes in a deodorant stick form, but whatever you do , do NOT put this stuff on your pits. you'll cry like a little Nancy.

extra important tip- do yourself a favor and put the greyhound juice on AFTER you've applied your chamois cream. that is, unless you're into feeling like you got a nasty VD...

The Dreaded Lactate Threshold Test

As part of joining NY Velocity, we are given two Lactate Threshold Tests: one at the beginning, one right before racing season begins. I had the pleasure of experiencing my first one yesterday.

Hooo.


It's a pretty interesting test, but the whole experience is (rightfully so) humbling. Going into it, I know that I was a tad over trained from it being the off season, and my racing cyclocross for the first time certainly doesn't help. Ah well, such is the nature of the beast.

It was held at one of the coach's apartments. Francisco is studying to get into med school, and Is a cat 3 (i believe). The test is conducted on a Computrainer, which allows a specific wattage to be inputted as resistance.

I got to warm up for about ten minutes, and while he was calibrating the machine, he asked me to go all out for 30 seconds. I did as I was told.

I checked my max cadence to see where i stood. The fixed gear riding i started doing this year has definitely helped my spin. My cadence max was 188 RPM. hoo-rah.
I have a feeling that with my body type and leg speed, I should be training to be a sprinter. I'm going to construct this season's goals around that.

We got started with the test. The structure: 6 minute intervals with 1 minute of rest in between, during which you get your blood drawn to measure the amount of Lactic acid in your body. we started at 130 watts and went up in 30 watt increments. The first 3 or so were totally fine. I started to feel the effort after the 3rd interval, and it got worse from there. The test stops when you can no longer keep your cadence above 70 rpm.

Body 101: as your body starts to work anaerobically, your body produces lactic acid as a by-product of the anaerobic process. Your muscles use the Lactic acid as fuel as well, but as exertion increases, Lactic acid starts to accumulate at a faster rate than your body can use/flush out.

and in walks muscle pain, stage left.

at 310 watts, My legs started giving out. I had 1 minute left for that interval, but just couldn't do it. and there have it, kids. Pain, pain, pain.

And it's oddly satisfying.

I think that as a group, cyclists are some of the only people who engage in positive masochism. obviously our cousins in running and tri's know the deal, but it's different.

The most important and helpful output from the LT test is that now I know what my HR zones are. This'll allow me to train more effectively, and built up my aerobic base by riding at just-below threshold for extended periods of time.

Time for sleep. light spin in the AM. The temperatures are finally low enough that I can take out my new Castelli bibs for a test run. Here's to hoping they're toasty.