Hackcycling

Recovery ride as training

Details: Category: Training; Published on Friday, 18 May 2012 10:57; Written by Mark Buckaway

Recovery ride. We all see them on our training plans. Active recovery we are told is good for us. There are times I just can't be bothered to putter around for a hour. I'd rather just watch a movie. However, this week I found something useful from Coach Veal on my plan:

Easy day - Moderate spin - 1hr+ I want this be an active recovery day. This means you get a ride in but your do not over extend yourself that your toast for the following workouts. I want you getting on your bike to build habits and work on your aerobic conditioning but I want the cadence higher than normal and I want your getting off the bike feeling like you could have done more. Work on bending your elbows and riding as aero as possible. Bring in your knees and lower your head. These little changes will help your when the pace goes up or when your riding into a head wind. Try to hold your head up and look forward as much as possible during this ride. These rides are the best to practice changing your clothes. Removing arm warmers, riding with one hand while you are in your back pocket, drinking, eating, unwrapping a power bar. How about riding with no hands? Have fun and swerve all over the road. get used to having fun. Jump a curb or two...ride on the grass etc.... today is all about being a big kid AND working on raising your comfort level and improving your bike handling skills.

This one got me going. Try riding with no hands? Ok. Practice taking the arm warmers off, reaching for the jersey pockets. Sure. I added one more item: hill repeats done as slowly as possible. I spend 7 mins climbing a hill that normally takes 2 mins. Good practice for riding slow.

Thus, I used the recovery ride to practice skills I never get a chance to try out. Something to consider doing if you have trouble getting out on a short easy spin.

YOU WILL CRASH. GET OVER IT.

Details: Category: Training; Published on Wednesday, 09 May 2012 11:49; Written by Mark Buckaway

It's been a "fun" couple of weeks. I must say, I know challenges. Somehow, I managed to pick myself up and keep going. I'm recalling the "fun" I have had over the last 4 years of trying to learn how to race a bike. I think anyone else might have quit some time ago, yet I keep at it.

I drove out to Calabogie with my Vitess Red bike that I had a whole 4 weeks, and managed to get into a crash in which I had no change. The frame on my Vitess got smashed AGAIN. This is something like the fourth time that bike has had the frame damaged - I should mention, that it is not fault of Vitess. When a bike is run over by another bike, it's usually toast. I should know. That has happened to me too many times.

So, let's recount the B.S. I endured:

Tour of Bronte: Cross or not

Details: Category: Races; Published on Sunday, 29 April 2012 20:24; Written by Mark Buckaway

[Update: Ok. Bronte was a tough race. Almost 42km/h average for 64km.]

The Tour of Bronte is a race that runs through Bronte provincial park. It was a OCUP points race, but because registration was down, it was switched to a citizen race. This meant I was free to race any category I wanted. I changed from the "beginner" race to the "intermediate" race. There was no way I was doing the elite race.

The course for the race was 50% road and 50% hard packed gravel. Because of the crash last year that trashed my bike, I used my cross bike. I think because of the off road sections it is better suited as a cross race anyways but, I have a 22lbs cross bike. Nice solid alloy bike that is built like and handles like a tank. I've done Paris to Ancaster three times and nothing has broken on it. BUT, because it's so heavy, I tend to be pushing 20-30W more than everyone else.

Calabogie Crash - Video

Details: Category: Races; Published on Sunday, 22 April 2012 20:41; Written by Mark Buckaway

[Updated: April 22, 2012]

This morning I got out of bed at the hotel room in Calabogie and I have a feeling it, I know not why, I would be involved in a crash at the race. I put the thought aside and forgot about it. I was set to race the Calabogie Speedway for the second OCUP race of the season in Calabogie, ON

It was the first time racing the Calabogie Speedway. I skipped the race last year. My rule is never race a course you have never ridden, so I managed to sneek into the course before the race for a lap. 20 turns is a technical course, but with no yellow line or yellow line rule, there should not have been a problem. Of course, this is M3 and the pack is filled with seasoned racers that just haven't podiumed to the guy that just got a new carbon bike and freshly minted racing license. That said, it's the catagory I am in. Coach Veal today told the S3 team while I was standing around to get used to the bumping and wheel bashing. That's racing. I have also been told in Europe, agresive racing is the norm.

The race went well. I planned to stay sheltered in the pack until the last two laps and then move up to the front staying at the front over the last few turns of the race. My only regret was I didn't do what would have done last year and just have gone to the front. Stay 1-5 guys back, and hammer it to the finish. I didn't stay close enough to the front...and the result was in this shaky race was a crash. A guy (#145) just off to the side of me on the inside clipped the wheel of the guy in front of him (#102) and in the process took out 6-8 guys. The end result was two bikes (including my new Red Vitess) broken and the race pretty much over for the rest.

Being fed to the wolves

Details: Category: Training; Published on Wednesday, 18 April 2012 22:03; Written by Mark Buckaway

On Saturday, April 14 I drove out to London, ON for the last race of the winter/spring season at the Forest City Velodrome. I put on my fancy new RealDealRacing/LaBicicletta skin suit and shoe covers. I was ready to get areo (except I forgot to shave my legs and face).

The race night called for my favourite race to be up first: this miss and out aka the Elimination Race. This race is won from the front as every three laps the rider that crosses the finish line last is eliminated. I discovered back in January that the way to finish with a good placement is to get to the front of the pack and stay there preventing ANYONE from coming over you. It's a harder way of racing because you spend 8-10 mins pushing wind. However, it works. I usually finish in the top 3 or 4. This time I was a bit luckier. When the race started, I came over the entire group and grabbed the front. I ramped the pace up which stretched the pack out. I listened to the announcer as people got popped off the back. It was down to me and two other riders. I was impressed. At this point, usually the left over riders manage to come over me, but that didn't happen. The 3rd ride got picked off and left on the track was me and one other guy. Apparently, he had been on my wheel the entire race drafting. At the last corner before the sprint he came over me, and I had absolutely nothing left to get out of the saddle and sprint. He won by a 10m margin. So, I spent 8 mins off the front of the pack going all out and came in second.

They Come in Threes

Details: Category: News; Published on Monday, 02 April 2012 21:33; Written by Mark Buckaway

They say all good things come in threes. Well, it happened this week.

Saturday night I raced the Forest City Velodrome and won my first race ever. I got to carry the Canadian flag for a victory lap. The race was Last Man Standing. So, from a standing start, I have to go all out to catch the rider in front of me and go over him. I marked him from the start, and told myself I needed to give 110% to not get lapped myself. I kept giving 110%. Last Man Standing is an all out sprint until its over. When it was two of us left on the track, it took all I could to attempt to sprint past the guy, but I just couldn't go it. I had to wait for him to burn out (or give up)....which happened, but not after some 5-6 laps of trying. It took 10 mins afterwards to recover from this race. However, I managed to win.

Saturday morning, I met with Julian of Vitess. He helped build up my Vitess Red and replaced the cables housings in white. I provided the new chain, bar tape, cables, etc. Julien built up the bike for me and did a quick check fit to make sure to the seat was set correctly. I broke the frame of this bike a while back and I am glad to have this bike back in action. I rode it this evening to break in the new cables. It is quite a difference from my Giant TCR Advanced 2.

Lastly, today the new bike kit came in and I went over to collect it. I finally have a real TT Skin Suit. Check it out. I'm ready to race this season under the Real Deal Racing (ie. Ed Veal's Team) banner.

Hackcycling Chronicles of a bike racer...

Nav view search

Navigation

Search