All posts by Jen

Race Inspired

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… as we reached the bottom of the last climb, the four of us have been off the front for an entire lap now. Suffering from heat exhaustion desperately trying to keep the chasers at bay. The three others included a young NDCC rider in his teens, a South West Cycle Club rider in his 30’s and another rider on an orange Willier also in his 30’s. We had broken away from a dwindled field (originally 30 strong) on the penultimate lap’s climb and kept the pace on to stay off the front. It is clear I am the weakest rider within the group, unable to pull equal turns without blowing up. I managed to get away with sitting out a few roll throughs as I was determined to be there at the finish. Thankfully the strongest guy doesn’t always win the race I kept saying to myself. There was no way I would accept being dropped from our leading group. I figured this was my best chance to get onto the podium for the first time. Four off the front with a sizeable gap.

Moments ago though, my body was shutting down. I had no water left, and was desperately needing hydration. The sapping heat took its toll and it felt harsh. We had a pace car following and I thought I would try my luck as I turned to the car and gestured for a water bottle. No response. Oh dear. I turned back to the front and concentrated on getting back onto the last wheel of our breakaway group and told myself, you just got to go the rest of the way without water. Only a punishing climb and descent to the finish… hmm.. it occurred to me I may not make it in my current state. Then, a few honks later, the black commodore station wagon pulls up next to me. I look inside the opened window to see the commissaire in his air conditioned cabin holding a bottle out for me. A few thoughts went through my head at this point: I would love to be sitting where you are right now; what a massive relief you have water for me; cool, this feels super pro. I took out one of my empty bottles from its cage and threw it into the car and grabbed the one out held for me. The first thing I noticed was how cold it felt – so good. I shoved it into my bottle cage and went all out to get back onto the group as the commissaire shouts ‘you owe me one!’.  At the first opportunity I started drinking. The cold water gave me life and re-invigorated my mind and body. “Come on” I said, “I can do this!”

As we turned left and looked up the Chittering Rd climb we all new this was it. The last climb began, and everyone gave whatever was left. The SWCC guy simply powered off the front, clearly the strongest of us four and we would not see him again till podium presentations. And then there was three. A high tempo started to reveal cracks in the NDCC rider and as Willier and I continue to stamp up the hill NDCC blows up surprisingly and we form a gap. About 100m from the crest, I now started to get dropped by Willier. That sinking feeling arises as you see the wheel in front of you agonizingly drift slowly away as the increasing pain throughout your body slows you down like your dragging a lead weight. I crest with a 30m gap to Mr Willier in front and fire myself up. ‘This is the smallest gap you will have to close, right here, right now. If you let him go you’ll never see him again’, I said to myself. Shifting to the 53×11 I ignore the pain of lactic acid drowning my muscles and go into sprint mode to get back onto his wheel as we descend.  Just when you think your body can’t go through anymore pain after climbing that hill, a new level of hurt is reached.

I make it back on, sit-in to recover, and re-asses the situation. I thought, SWCC off the front and too strong to catch, even with the two of us. The only issue here was being caught by NDCC rider behind and not making the podium. So my motivation was to work together with Mr Willier to assure our podium places. I would be very happy with 2nd or 3rd. A left turn and a 3km decent to the finish line. We took turns to share the load but with 1km to go my legs give in and begin to cramp up. Mr Willier’s wheel again slowly drifts further away and I know this time I won’t be getting back on. My attention turns to the rear as I scope out the chasing NDCC rider. No sight of him. ‘Keep pushing a high cadence to prevent more cramps’ I thought. I round the last corner and see the finish line 250m up the road. Mr Willier is 40m in front and I hear a spectator say ‘go on, you can catch him’. My ignorance to the physical state of my body allows my mind to think, ‘yeah, I can catch him’ so I try to go into sprint mode one last time and after about half a second my body clearly overrides my mind and I sit up at my limit and roll through the finish in 3rd place.

Such a rewarding feeling for the novice racer that I am. However what really makes racing so much fun is not just the competition and race tactics, but the comradery, support and recognition we receive within the SPR family and cycling community as a whole. The large number of genuine human beings within the club naturally result in many SPR supporting and participating in races, and this is the key for inspiring others to partake.

Committing to a race license this year has re-framed my outlook and attitude towards cycling. Not by much though. In fact, not much has changed in terms of number of rides per week (3), kilometres put into the legs (<150km), nutrition, lifestyle, well… maybe an added excuse to buy nicer things for your bike. The only change has been putting myself amongst race conditions and testing yourself. And this small change has such a grand effect. It is a means to inspire you to train harder and smarter, and to also challenge you and take you out of your comfort zone. Every race gives you a conclusion to all the hard work we put into our training rides and it reveals your strengths and weaknesses, and motivates you to concentrate on them for next time. Race conditions take your performance to a different, harder, faster, more painful level in which your body will surprise you. And it is the same for everyone. Because of this, racing is the best (and most fun) way to make you faster! So I encourage those, like me, who love their cycling, train hard but yet to experience the thrill and closure of racing – get a race license and put your legs to the test. It’s fun, it’s rewarding, it’s inspiring, and it’s easy to do.

Pickering Brook Road Race Series

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For those interested in giving a race a go (with a hill in it) check out the flyer for details..

Register online here.
First race next Sunday 19 June, register by this Tuesday 10pm online or on the day for $5 more.

Day licenses available (and also 3 day licenses).
3 series race with points and prize money
5 grades to choose from so anyone can give it a go…

 

 

Fast Group – dropped, chased, and finished (with the front!)

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I was never planning to cycle with the fast group today but as Pete seemed to have pointed straight to my direction for the group to gather, I figured – why not? I’m already assembled here. I don’t think my legs fully understood what I was in for over the next hour or so, but it certainly wasn’t the caring safe feeling you get in Main 1 (where people make sure you’re still there).

As we rolled out, the fast group had been the biggest that I had seen it. Roughly 20-30 riders. This gave me comfort. The conditions, as most of you know, were strong 15-20 knot easterlies which was going to make the ride out tough but on the other hand we knew Benara Rd would be like riding in a vacuum. Out to Guildford the ride was uneventful, but as soon as we turned off Great Eastern onto West Pde, I had found myself on the front with strong man Jono next to me. It just so happend that West Pde meant we had turned straight into the wind. Now in hindsight I should have peeled off straight away to seek shelter at the rear, but I figured everyone has to do their turn so I decided to stay and burn my matches. Wasn’t long before I was in the red and knew at this rate I would burn out way too early. So I peeled off and quite frankly struggled to even jump on the back of the group. It was only a navigational incident at the roundabout that forced the group to split in two different directions, slow down and re-group. I was back on.

Bushmead Rd was fast approaching and the strong cross-head winds would make this stretch the toughest. With no where to hide from such a devlish wind direction it was nothing short of all out power to stay with the group. As a roll through formed  I found myself on the front again with the cross winds cutting through everyone. I was suffering and as a gap slowly appeared in front of me, in a matter of seconds I was spat out the back as the group pulled away. The smashfest had begun.

The dis-heartened feeling of riding home on your own filled my mind and it was then I was wishing for the comfort of Main 1 like a baby to its mother. I looked back to see if anyone else had been dropped and saw John catching up to me. I could also see a couple others up ahead that had been popped off too. I was not alone.

Left onto Military Rd and John had zoomed past me making me the last on the road but I had to drop my pace and recover. Left onto Clayton Rd but more importanly left onto a tailwind! I had converted enough lactic acid back into energy by this point and stepped my speed back up to 40-45km/h. At this point an idea had struck! I knew the route was slightly chicaned to get back onto Great Eastern Hwy, and I usually take a more direct route to the end of Clayton and up Yelverton to cross the train line. There was hope! As the lone chaser I stepped it up and took a few roundabouts at dangerous angles in hope that I could catch the rest. As I pulled parallel to the train line, on the otherside of the tracks I could see the banking bicycles turning onto Great Eastern (so close yet so far). I had sight of them again and hope was instilled! As I raced on the wrong side of the track and crossed, all I needed was for the set of lights outside Guildford Grammar to hold the group up for me. And it did – just. I came within 20m of getting back on through Guildford only to be divided by a car and my big effort to get back saw the group pull away again with too much pace. So close.

The shortcut had meant I leapfrogged those that had been dropped in front of me, and Toby, John and I formed a chaser group up West Swan and down Benara. As we moved into the vaccum state all of us took long turns on the front cruising at 45km/h to pull back lost ground. As the rolling hills approached we had dropped John and it was just Toby and I left. Dejavu of Golden Spokes last Sunday except this time we were the chasers. Over the crest of a hill and sight of the group fell upon our eyes. And as we realised that they were stopped and traffic lights our eyes grew bigger and the legs pedaled that little bit faster to catch them. We were back. Good work Toby and John. As kharma rewarded the chasers with the lights turning green as we approached, our momentum zipped us past the group only to realize that there was the leading half of the group up ahead. They had been split. As Toby and I continue to work to get back to the front group, up ahead all had been stopped by another set of lights. Finally, we were mostly all back together at the end of Benara. What an effort.

The home stretch consisted of rolling hills which suits me much better than the fast flats, and staying with the leading group was relatively easy. Whereas the diesels were left behind. Lights continued to save the day and by the time we were over the top of Mt Plain St I was feeling pretty chuffed to be part of the leading group returning to the Bell Tower.

So as much as the ‘Gentle Coaxing’ recently has succeded increasing the fast group size, I can tell you it is a smashfest. But smashfests are the best sort of training at this level, and is the only way everyone get’s the most out of the ride. Just be prepared for the intensity, pick a route that has plenty of lights and complicated directions to save you. But really, its not that bad, just be prepared to chase! Back to the breast of Main 1 for me.

Jen

Chocolate Canards – Team SPR 02 (Swan Valley Cyclo-Sportif)

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As the cold morning was met with hundreds of multi coloured cyclists gathering by the Midvale Velodrome for the start of the event, I continued to cough green flem out of my lungs – a seemingly appropriate colour for Team SPR. I knew it was going to be a tough day. Raph, Anna, and I reluctantly got out of the car to greet the crisp air and ready our race machines and stock our jersey’s with Gu, bananas and cereal bars. Vital energy that in the end would save our team from exhaustion. The recognizable silhouette of curly hair standing next to a well trimmed goatie and mustache in the car park saw some friendly faces, however the lack of green cycling attire immediately instilled ‘traitor’ like thoughts. Into the velodrome to meet the team. Greeted by the ever committed Peter who had set up the tent, we collected our jerseys and introduced ourselves to the ‘Chocolate Canards’. Jordan – our team captain, Nigel – the workhorse, Anna – the girl with the short shorts (and today added some cycling lingerie like leg warmers), Raph – with a rare Sunday cycling pass, and first time introductions to Nick and Jill who made up our team of 7. Together we rolled out to the start of what was, I believe, all our first time in a cyclo-sportif (more accurately – a Team Time-Trial).

The 8km ride out to the start line was a great opportunity to get to know the team and discuss our tactics. Our goal was to try and maintain an average of 35km/h over the 80k’s, which seemed reasonable to all. We learned the name ‘Chocolate Canards’ came from Nigel’s recent trip to France, being the only two words he could say in french – although ‘chocolate’ isn’t too dissimilar to how us english speakers say it. Anyway, we all adopted the name and the french duck mentality for no other reason than team spirit. All of us easily got along and this cheerful energy would get us through the next 80k’s quickly, efficiently, and painfully enjoyable. As we zoomed to the front of a back log of teams waiting to start (due to our late arrival) before we knew it… we were off!

Our first lap was fast. We familiarized ourselves with the course and rode single file, peeling off once the leader had done their turn. Our quick pace meant we were overtaking many other groups on the first lap. Anna and Jill were worried about maintaining this speed for the next 4 laps, confessing after, they were worried about not making it to the end. The first lap was a good opportunity to see our various riding abilities and tailor our formation and tactics to ensure we got to the end together. The course was relatively flat with nothing more than a few gentle inclines. Located at the foot of the hills, the area was surrounded by hobby farms and boutique wineries. It gave an almost ‘provénce’ like feel with the morning sun on the vines, and the hills as a backdrop. There were many nervous horses around the track, fidgeting wildly in their paddocks or under their owners hold. I couldn’t help but feel nervous myself as I imagined these horses breaking free and pouncing on one of us. But I digress. As we completed lap 1 I took it upon myself to do longer turns on the front to help others conserve their energy. The team were chatty and constant communication amongst the team meant we stayed as a tight knit group.

We realised the goal of this team time trial was to race smart such that all of us would just reach ‘empty’ at the 80km mark. Of course with all our varying cycling abilities this meant stronger riders doing more of the work load whilst protecting others so that they can conserve their energy all the way to the end. This lead us to form a ‘2 upfront’ formation by lap 2 to create a better draft to protect and suck the others behind. It was clear early on that corners would split us up, so it was important we eased out of them gently. We also noticed the differences in effect of the draft downhill, on flats, and uphill. We found downhill; the leaders could really crank the speed up as those behind would only have to marginally pedal harder to remain in the slipstream. Whilst uphill; the pace would need to reduce to the slowest rider. It was this awareness, communication, and team spirit that kept us tightly together as we continued to fly around the course. I was impressed at how well we could all work together especially given we had not done so in the past. Anna for one, had not even cycled 80km’s before. As Jill, and Anna were well protected by ‘the boys’ cycling through their turns on the front – shielding them, the laps began to fade away. We were on target for that 35 km/h average!

Eating throughout this event was a key to maintaining our pace. Diminishing glucose supplies and salt over the 2 hours meant replacing them would be vital. Lap 2 and 4 saw the south straight be used to take in our food, and Gu’s were generously passed around. What a difference they make! Nutrition becomes much more interesting (and important) when you are pushing your body to its limits.

As we begun our final lap, my two cylinder engine started to falter. That extra work I did at the beginning had come back to greet me at the end masked as pain. My left piston was twitching to cramp and this mis-firing meant I would attempt to ride the last lap with just my right one. Of course this affected my speed and I was struggling to hang on the back of the group. Many sorry calls to ease up meant I was holding the group back. Sweeper Raph gave me a few welcome pushes to get back on, but it was only a matter of time before my last cylinder failed me too. Nigel, Nick and Jordan lead the group and as we snaked through the last S bend the lead out train for our chipped man – Jordan, began to wind up. As the team accelerated on the final straight to the finish line, Raph and I were dropped off the back and unfortunately our flying V formation finish could not be realised.

We had finished! The 80ks was tough but thoroughly enjoyable. We averaged a speed of 34.5 km/h and a time of 2 hours 15 minutes – roughly. Our chip failed to register possibly due to it’s location on Jordan’s wrist, not ankle. I will be looking for a four cylinder engine for the next one. Or maybe a hamster turbo charger. Our teamwork was heartwarming and we were all happy with the result and how we achieved it.

The spin back to the velodrome was slow and gave us a chance to warm down those exhausted muscles. Greeted by the other cyclists we exchanged stories and ate a full-filling meal as the track cyclists entertained us between mouthfuls. A new experience for me, and one I (and I think all) really enjoyed. Thank you to team ‘Chocolate Canards’, and the SPR crew.

Jen Siah

Photos from BWA photographer