team website

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http://brccycling.com/2010/

pain cave

3 Minute Intervals.  I'm ramping down the interval length and upping the intensity.  My last workout consisted of 5 sets of 3 x 3 minute intervals with 3 min rest between efforts and 5 min rest between sets.  I was shooting for something rediculous like 440 Watts per effort, but ended up averaging around 400W for each effort after the first two.  These efforts are fun because the first minute feels good, the 2nd minute is pretty bad, and the 3rd minute is hard but you can see the light at the end of the tunner.  My heart rate got up to189-190bpm for each effort.  One month until Gila.  EEK.

filling space

We got dumped last night with wet, heavy snow.  It doesn't look good for the first real race of the year this Sunday, but we'll see.  Training volume has been low again this week.  Meh, I'm still putting in hard efforts, just not as much volume.  Data indicates I'm still improving, so that's good.  For the next 4 weeks, I'll be putting in 10 minute, 5 minute, and 3 minute effort workouts. 

Anyway, our big team meeting is this Friday and we'll get kits and whatnot.  I'm excited to see and meet the other peeps on the team that aren't on the P12 team.  I'll post up some photos of the new kit once available.

Oh yeah, I modified my bike rack for my motorcycle so that it holds the spare wheel better.  Also, somehow I've got Versus on TV now!  That's sweet because now I can get cycling on tv (although the coverage is so packed with commercials that it's almost not worth watching).  Adios for now.

Koppenberg

Training has been going ok over the last week.  I'm managing to fit in 10-12 hours a week which is ok, but not great.  I'll probably get the same this week.  Last weekend we had a team ride down in Denver which was pretty fun.  Rode a bunch of areas that I've never been to.  coming up in a couple weeks is my favorite race of the year, the Koppenberg.  this year, there's a separate 2s category, so our P/1 race will be super hard.  I don't think I have a chance at this race, but I'll stick it out and give it the best I've got.  I double-flatted last year at this race, but I was in the chase group anyway and out of the top 10.  Anyway, I prerode the course on my motorcycle this afternoon around 6pm and put together a short vid with a PiP map.  Enjoy.

This thing is supposed to be straight

Race #1 is in the books and here's the fruits of my labor:  DNF.  The race went ok.  The guys at the upper level of this sport are aliens.  I went off the front about 5 min into the race and a garmin guy went with me.  We had a little gap, then a few bridged up to us.  Then 3 more, then 4-5 more until we had a break of about 10-12 guys.  I was hanging in there, but the pace was so rediculously high that I was doing everything I could just to stay there.  Then, the pace went up again and I didn't have it so I had to drop back.  This is about 20 minutes into the race.

I hovered in the main pack for the rest of the race, but the break was long gone.  The pace in the pack wasn't too bad, so I was able to go to the front, try a split, get reeled in, hover, etc.  Then with about 15 minutes left in the race, I'm in the main pack and a guy chops my front wheel.  We're on the straight before the first turn and he swings out of the peloton to accelerate to the front, but as he stands up, his bike slips back and he sticks is rear derailleur in my front wheel.  I break/snap/crack/bend a few spokes, unclip and manage to keep it up, but the front wheel is toasted and I pulled off to assess the damage.  DNF

Luckily, it's just a few spokes and I think I can source some new ones from Excelsports and true my wheel up before next weekend.  Ah well.  That's one way to start a season.