This weekend, I raced the 2019 Hampton Roads Shootout (Conquer the Canal Time Trial + Langley Speedway Criterium) as a tuneup for the 2019 MABRA Mid Atlantic Time Trial Series which starts in late May with the Argyle Time Trial. Two weeks ago I did a dress rehearsal of my logistics, Warmup, Training, Equipment following the end of the Naval Academy Road Race and TT.

Saturday – CCTT

This race is located south of Chesapeake in the Great Dismal Swamp and parallels US 17. It is a 12.3 mile out and back along a former road turned into a bike trail. It is very flat with 75% of the route being in woods although there is a little bit next to an open field near the turn.

I woke late but managed to get out of the door on time and most of the stuff was already in the car. It had rained overnight and the closer I got to the starting location the heavier the rain. Just walking the 15 feet from the car to the men’s room got me soaked. After checking in and waiting about 10-15 mins to see if the rain would stop I decided to find a dry location where I could warm up. I had remembered a strip mall just north and checked google for churches and schools as locations. There was a school nearby which had a large awning which served my purposes perfectly and I pulled the whole car out of the rain.

After getting everything squared I was able to do the whole warmup although I had to chop it down by 10 mins. After relocating back to the start I did all my final checks and got my bike, disc, and equipment set up. I had run BBS the night before and it was projecting I should maintain 253 Watts for the whole event. After talking with my coach the plan was adjusted to Quarter the route and maintain 245, 250, 250, 265/all out watts for each section. I had two rabbits in front of me and caught both of them well before the halfway mark (they were both on normal road bikes). I was caught by the guy who started a minute behind me just before the turn and we exchanged leads a couple of times before and after the turnaround before I really went ahead and put in a dig in order to get some separation because watching his pedaling technique and body movement I knew he had burned a lot of matches trying to get me on the outbound while I had been holding back and riding conservatively on the first half and was trying to “ride my race”.

I was able to get separation and probably clawed back about 30 seconds or so on him by the end of the course. Then I was passed by a second guy who put in an insane effort to win with a 26:37. I was disappointed to see the race ride away but it was such a great effort I couldn’t help but say “chapeau”. I just put my head down and try to finish as fast as possible and set a 5 min power PR and several heart rate PRs as well all firmly in tempo. When I saw the results, 5th, I was livid. Even though the purpose was to get real TT results in order to build for future races the execution was great, I still felt like I finished with gas in the tank.

Langley Speedway Criterium

This is an oval track with some slight banking and we were racing in a counterclockwise direction. The laps were mostly under a minute and we were racing for 40 minutes. There has been a rain shower that morning which wet the track but the locals said it wasn’t enough to make it slick. I got there early and managed to get the full crit warmup finished while watching a trucking school teach new student drivers. Somehow registration had given me the wrong number but we were able to get everything squared with plenty of time to get wheels in the pit and laps done before the start.

This was a combined 4/5 race with two major local teams THR Racing (16) and Fat Frogs (3) and 7-8 singles. I came to TT and signed on to the crit as a bit of an afterthought with no expectations other than pushing myself hard, have fun and finish upright. My goal was just to sit in the group and try to avoid working as much as possible while fishing with the front group since I expected this to be a typical cat 4/5 race. THR was pretty active in this race but they weren’t able to keep the attacks coming. It would string out for a lap or two but then eventually it would come back together. It did take a couple of laps for people to begin getting shed. It was a major problem because the refs were not pulling lapped riders or telling them to stick to the outside of the track. I really don’t see how they were able to keep everything straight. Just tried to follow every attack as much as possible and not get gapped.

There was one situation where we had a 5 person break up the road where I did do a pull but they did get caught and another where I had to burn a match to blow past a group in order to get up to the front. Starting out I was trying to stay on the outside of the track but on the last couple of laps I moved inside and on the final lap the sprint went to the outside rather than the inside. Didn’t really get a good sprint because I was pretty well blocked in the end of the race.

Overall I was happy with the performance and I was able to close the gaps when they opened and I finished on the front of the race. I had the fitness to ride with the group and think tactically even though I tried to set in. My buddy rode over to watch but ended up missing the race and while we were watching the next race (where Keith Johnson destroyed the field) I noticed they were calling my name out. Wandered over to registration to check placing (11th) and asked one of the officials why they were calling my name. Turns out there was an “overall category” for the “shootout” and based on my TT and crit performance I was able to win the Cat 5 overall for the two races. It had been a tie but the break was TT performance. I was really stoked because this was a silver lining I had not anticipated it was really cool to get the first “win” following a long hard winter in the gym and many cold miles on the trainer and the road.

My goal this season was to tackle the Dirty Kanza for the first time, and once I got an entry it was time to plan. Working with Chuck we started to discuss my strengths and weaknesses as well as the logistics of such an event. We went over several details to ensure I could be in the best position for the race.

To help aid this process I signed up for several gravel races and assigned specific goals to each. The Grinders Nationals and Gravelleur’s Raid was one of these events. Located in Lawrence Kansas the event is about 90 minutes away from the Dirty Kanza venue. This gave me a great opportunity to test logistics for the two days drive out in June. The second goal I had for this event was to ride unsupported due to to the new support structure at DK. Finally, it was an opportunity to test out what Kansas gravel was all about.

First and foremost the terrain and road conditions were similar to what we are accustomed too here in Northern Virginia which is great experience wise. The only real difference is that they maintain their roads a little better, meaning there was a lot of fresh gravel and few potholes. I ran 40 psi with a new set of Donnelly EMP tires and found them to have great traction, but should have run a few psi lower due to the fresh gravel. I intend to test some 650b wheels in the next race to see how much the volume helps.

Over 1000 miles in the truck leading up to the race proved to be a bit much. My legs never felt comfortable the entire race although my power numbers seem to show differently. This caused me to hold back a little in the second hour although I still maintained a good pace. For Dk I intend to give myself an extra day to recover prior to the race. What is hidden in the above text is that I was really beating myself up until I actually looked at the data real-time and realized it was truly all in my head. Granted, with a 35 degree start temp it was really hard to navigate the Garmin because of extra gloves. Luckily I was able to shed those off about the second hour as well.

Here is where I need to explain how much I love the Revelate bags, especially the frame pack. As I said my goal was to ride unsupported, and these bags helped make it possible. I was able to carry three 24oz bottles and all of my nutrition that helped me get through the duration. The biggest hindrance was the temperatures. At mile 50 I ended up stopping for a second to ditch the jacket I was wearing. Still in the end, though I have confidence I can carry the necessities for DK and not be limited.

Cold weather, light winds, and some awesome teammates made for a great weekend. My biggest mistake was to downplay the event as a training event too much. I failed to have a good breakfast and this seemed to impact me a little early on. The important take away for me was to take every race seriously because it cant be a good training race if I can’t finish. I had a plan otherwise and executed well, a little off the pace but overall I am pleased. Next up will be a short 68-mile gravel race in S.C. The goal? maintain a higher pace for the duration and see if I can push the average up.

These events, along with great planning and coaching, are giving met he confidence to tackle the Dirty Kanza and to do so in 13 hrs.

Believe it or not, you do not have to win every race. With a grueling race schedule ahead of me including the Dirty Kanza and Shenandoah Mountain 100 I have worked with KyleCoaching to put together what we feel is a great calendar and ultimately a plan for success. With this being said we have looked at the entire race calendar and have made concrete goals for each event in preparation for these events. Communication is critical with your coach, as athletes we need to lay specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound (SMART) goals. These goals are why we don’t have to win every race. Sometimes the challenge we set forth is enough.

It is often advantageous to craw, walk, run as we push ourselves onto new endeavors. Two hundred miles of Kansas gravel in June is going to be a challenge enough. Not only will there be physical demands, but psychological ones as well. We need an opportunity to build up our confidence, as well as our stamina, endurance, and plain old grit. This won’t happen overnight and cannot often be replicated in training rides. We need to toe the line and push our boundaries to a breaking point. We need to test our strategies regularly to find what works and what doesn’t.

The Croatan Buck Fifty was the first opportunity for me to do so. First off, the #bestbikegameever lived up to its hype. Just checking in to the race venue gave you a sense that this was going to be an epic blast. The atmosphere, the staff, and volunteers, everything screamed epic. We rolled into town Friday afternoon, and after setting up camp, I made my around a large portion of the course checking out the gravel conditions and “Savage Road.” We came back to have a little recovery meal and finish some final preparation before the race meeting. Afterward, a little pasta and chit chat before bed.

Croatan was an excellent opportunity to push myself physically and prove I had some early season fitness. More so being three loops, I had the chance to test some nutrition and technique without fear of being left stranded on the road. Cooler temps helped curb SOME hydration needs, but I was able to stretch two bottles of GU hydration for about two and a half hours. I also found a good mixture of chews, waffles, and gels during the same period. As I expected, I was craving a little more real food by the fifth hour. I was able to successfully navigate my frame bag at race pace freeing up the comfort factor of carrying less crap in my pockets. My Quarq Tyrewiz monitors proved to be invaluable during the race as the conditions would change and I had eyes on that my tires were solid. This was the first race on the bike, and I cannot say enough how comfortable she rolled and confident I was in her handling.

Physically I struggled at times with pace-lining around potholes (surging) but overall felt pretty confident in my ability to push on. This is one of the first races I never had any self-doubt and was able to push on. I am sure the 485 miles the week prior had something to do with this. I am however a little disappointed that I felt good at the end. That’s a good thing, right? Well for the end goal yes, but I still had something to give, and I didn’t give it. It’s a good thing for a few more training races, I can search and see how deep I can go.

Overall, I am stoked at the way the race played out, and I am confident that I will be well prepared for what lies ahead. I want to take a moment to thank Christina Spurrier, Brad Hawk, and Garett Schreier for their support during the race. I want to thank Chuck Kyle for his mentorship and expertise leading up to the race. Finally, I want to thank all of the teammates out on course. It was great seeing so many smiling faces and to hear so much encouragement through the day.

Sunshine Grand Prix Crit

Downtown Inverness, FL
Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 10:40 a.m.
Criterium (30 minutes)
Cat 5 (14 of 20)

Course Description

Rectangle with a dip toward the center of the rectangle creating a route with five 90-degree turns and two 45-degree turns. .53 miles per lap. Downtown course with moderately-good surface lined by curbs just about anywhere there’s not a driveway. Overall: a fun course and my 2nd favorite (Chain of Lakes in Winter Haven was a really fun course).

Warm-up/Prep

Standard warmup on the trainer following Coach Chuck’s prescribed criterium warm up. Arrived at the venue after about two hours of driving from my house with plenty of time to spare so not feeling rushed, hurried or anxious with respect to standard pre-race evolutions. Stayed on the trainer up until 5-7 minutes before the race started. Maybe 10 minutes before? To date, probably one of my best warm-up session.

Training Assessment

Training is coming along as planned. This was a C Priority race so I went into it slightly tired from this week’s training but not feeling over/undertrained or particularly fatigued.

The Race

I wanted to be up front for the race and was on the 2nd row, so was very happy about that. It was funny because while in the staging area, waiting for the course to clear, some dude just forced his way ahead a few of us (namely ME) and he had caught me off guard so I let him by. But he got behind a light pole or something and I realized my error and asserted myself to get onto the course before him and he ended up somewhere behind me. I started on the far right (first turn was 90-degrees left) directly behind Friday’s Circuit winner. Probably not ideal being on the outside but I was pleased overall, compared to my previous starting positions.

I have a big issue to work on: clipping in at the start. During group rides, there’s no pressure and clipping in is a non-issue for me at home, whether it’s quick & smooth or slow & clumsy. But on race day, I need to dial that in. I lost so many positions ON THE START because I was having issues clipping in my left foot. This is something I will practice. And test which side is fastest for me: right or left.

I was behind the eightball early and off the lead pack within two laps but still ahead of one or two others but not many. Rode solo for a while until a guy on a gold/yellow Cervelo came up from behind with one on his wheel and told me to get on so we could work together. They were going faster than me and I was already cooked so I told them I couldn’t pull for several rotations but eventually started working with them as I was grateful for the tow. I tried to keep my pulls short and as infrequent as I could get away with.

Eventually, we caught up with other dropped traffic and my buddy Britt. We had a good group of about 6 or 7 of us working together, keeping the pace up while giving us all time to recover between pulls. I was feeling really great about how this race was going, not just relative to my first three starts but taken alone it was a solid effort physically and tactically.

Britt gave me some solid feedback on my cornering (going to wide before the turn) and not pedaling through the turn. I felt my corning was solid and had I more fitness, I would have been able to make those behind me work harder. But he has video, so I want to analyze my lines and if they’re not efficient I need to practice cornering as well. I agree I need to work on pedaling through turns but admittedly, a recent pedal strike during a group ride has me a little spooked and I have to get over that and dial in cornering.

I did better (but not great) with situational awareness, making sure to check my position relative to others to make sure I was sharing the workload with my competitors. At one time though, I think I pulled almost a full lap before checking to see who was behind me and rotating out. Clearly, this is a work in progress for me but I’m moving in the right direction.

At one point a dropped/lapped rider asked us if we’re off the front or back and I just told him we were off the front (we got lapped around the 11th lap). During the cool down lap, he made a spectacle of yelling at me that I need to answer correctly and he “explained” to me the differences. My first response was “what’s your point?” then he repeated himself so I just said, insincerely, “My bad man. I’m sorry.” And the guys who were with me when we passed him and he asked that told me I didn’t do anything wrong and I didn’t need to apologize. I agreed but said I was just being diplomatic and it DID shut him up. Small victories. And yes, I knowingly lied to that guy about our situation.

Overall

Yes, I got lapped and yes I was 14th in a field of 20. Nonetheless for where I am at right now: I crushed it and am very happy with today’s results knowing I have a long way to go. But today was encouraging from a new guy point of view. I continue to learn what I need to improve and I continue to incorporate lessons learned from prior races. My greatest challenge or limiter today was the start. I have to dial in getting off the line without losing sight of the front of the pack.