LANTERNE ROUGE Season VI: Rabid Energie

10th REFRATECHNIK-Zeitfahrcup
(http://www.personal-sports.info)

Last year the Zeitfahrcup Prolog and Tour d’Energie marked my return to competitive cycling.  I entered the German cycling scene with eyes wide open and legs no where near the task at hand.  Our foolish young American group talked about how we would form up and ride to the front of the Peloton, attack, counter and win.  We talked about lead outs, sprints, and glory.  We read the Team 7-Eleven book and believe we could make out mark.  We talked bold, we dreamed big . . .

We were on drugs!!!  These European cats are born and bikes are placed right in their cribs.  They ride everyday, all day, in all weather from cradle to grave.  I am crushed by guys 20 years senior.  Base is base and done like religion.  We were rookies on a field that is close to Pro.  We had and still have so much to learn . . .

The level of competition here is fierce.  Each event last year became one of survival as I raced myself into shape other than chunky TURTLE.  I never really got there but vowed to change the landscape and make 2014 different and for the most part I have.  So after racing four days prior, I lined up for two additional events . . . a short 5K “Prolog” for the 10th REFRATECHNIK-Zeitfahrcup (Time Trial 1 of 3) and the 100K Tour d’Energie (German Cycling Cup race 2 of 14) the very next day.  It was on and I would make it happen no matter what . . .

Tour d' Energie
(http://www.tourdenergie.de)

Unlike the previous event, I was calm, kool, and collective in the days before the events.  Having only ridden my TT once since last October, I planned to just survive the TT and focus on the road race.  The road course had two big climbs that just about crushed me last year.  I had to hit them as hard as I could and make my goal of finishing under 3 hours . . . last year I finished in 3:26 and averaged only 28 kph.  I set a goal of 33 kph and planed to keep it.

But back to the TT . . .

The Zeitfahrcup allows cats to participate as a Team of three where individual times are combined.  I reached out to the crew and Trent Minter and Jenn Call were the first two to answer the call to arms for the series.  I was thankful for the additional company and this made surviving the TT a bit easier . . .

The weather this year was nearly perfect.  Last year’s cold wet light rain zapped a toll on the TURTLE Shell.  Heat generation was limited to non-existent.  I lined up shivering, finished shivering, and just wanted to die.  Yet this year with only the threat of rain on the horizon I was able to warm up and hit the line ready to roll . . .

Well, roll is really an overstatement.  I put “0” time into practicing for a TT and it showed as I came off the line in too big of a gear.  It was as it I forgot how bar end shifters work as I threw my tank of a bike down the road.  It was neither good or bad.  It was just plain ugly . . . 

However, I settled in and used the knowledge gained from a pre-ride of the course with Coach Quest.  I knew when to shift (once I remembered how) to keep my cadence and power up and the end result showed.  I took over 45 secs off my previous time.  I was stoked!  I even did a little TURTLE dance on the pedals as Coach demanded a sub-9 time.  I was so there . . .

But did I not say the competition was fierce.  My best effort put me in 30th place in my age group and far from the podium and further back when all cats and kittens are considered.  There were cats on either side of my age group with times over a 2 minutes faster.  That is simply flying on a slightly uphill 5K course.  I have a lot of work to do . . . next year I will focus on bringing my TT up to par and at least get a step closer to the podium.

It's easy to smile at the start!

But the Tour d’Energie is where I cut my teeth last year.  I knew the course, I knew the climbs, I knew what I had to do.  I was also blessed to have one of my strongest teammates with me.  HAMMER (Jeff Pannaman) drove almost 7 hours the day prior to start on this day and offered to lend me a few watts of power to stay in the game.  As he had watts to spare I did not feel bad at all.  HAMMER had almost bonk’d at the last race being in “no-mans” land alone and unafraid.   The plan on the day centred on working together until the last climb and then crushing it home . . .

We were lucky enough to be near the front of the bus and had hoped we would get done before the rain hit.  Forecasts over dinner danced from 40 - 70%.  We were both hoping for the 40 or better . . .

The neutral roll out was a bit more tame but as some as the cans were lit to start the race the peloton got crazy.  Surges, stops, lots of breaking in the middle of the pack and some serous crashes (one looked like about 10 - 15 cats on both sides of the road) marked the first 20 k.  It took about another 10 - 15K to settle in as HAMMER and I chased wheels looking for a rhythm.  As soon as we were good and rolling the rain started . . .

Liquid Sunshine!

Pacelines in the rain is far from fun as road dirt and grim pepper your face.  You keep your mouth closed and learn to wipe you mouth before taking a drink to remove the grit from your lips.  It’s even worse when you are gasping for air at tempo.  You have to just suck it up, take the added protein and pedal.  This was the few times when I did not mind taking a longer pull . . .

Yet the rain also brought more crashes as cats overcooked turns on the wet pavement.  As we dropped off the first big climb I felt my goal of getting under 3 hours slipping away.  I had little to no confidence of descending the wet roads at speed.  I was grabbing was too much brake and not trusting my bike or myself.  Seeing guys slide into barriers was not helping matters much.  Time was slipping away and I was starting to feel the agony of defeat with 30k remaining . . .

Climbing legs required!

Chasing the HAMMER up the final climb

As we started up the last climb of the day HAMMER rolled passed me, lit the afterburners yelling its down hill from the top of this climb….and shot up the road.  I did my best to keep him in sight but lost him on a switchback.  Cresting the top I saw him grabbing food (recall he just about bonked the previous race) but I kept rolling.  He would surly catch me on the way off the climb . . .

The last 20k was truly all down hill and I put everything into the bike on semi-dry roads.  I ramped up to threshold and decided this was where I would stay until the line.  I picked targets up the road one by one and just kept pushing.  I was soon caught by a much larger group of cats that included HAMMER and we started 1 min pulls to continue the leap frog of others.  We were making up the time lost in the rain and it was awesome to be on the rivet like this . . .

My lungs just about exploded over a slight bump in the road and I fell back in our group as HAMMER and two other guys turned up the heat even more.  It took everything in the tank to stay in the game at this point.  I could feel my legs ready to break as I did not come out of the drops at all.  At 5K to go I was back at the front taking one last pull of with all I had to keep the tempo up.  I prayed the math was correct as I only had 5K left in the tank . . .

We turned for the final 1K and all I could do was pedal and try not to hit folks in front of me.  I cross the line in under 3 hours.  I was cooked, done, finished, and just about broken…but heart said I was ready for more.  A 30 min improvement over the previous year and already looking forward to another road race in just 4 days . . . 

In the face of serious competition, I am having a blast on the bike.  It gets better each time I hit the line as each event provides an opportunity to excel.  I still have a great deal of work to do to make it closer to my goal of a a top 100 finish in the massive fields but that day will come.  I know what hard work on the bike feels like and I am ready, willing, and able to put more time into TURTLE development.  I’m off to a good start but there is a lot or racing between now and 3 October.  Time to turn up the heat . . .

2014 is the Rise of the Rabid TURTLE! 

LANTERNE ROUGE Season VI: My Waterloo Obsession

Fresh off October’s Folks Fest, I set my eyes on the 124 km of the ŠKODA VELODOM 100.  Starting in a hail storm last year crushed me.  I failed to finish and wore the scarlet letter of DNF (Did Not Finish) on my chest for over a year.  Much of my focus during the winter training months was with eyes on this race.  The 98th running of Rund um Köln was the first official race of the 15 event German Cycling Cup.  I had to finish. I had to make it happen without excuses.  Failure was not an option I was willing to entertain . . .

Most knew the war I waged in my pain cave all winter.  I watched YouTube videos of the race as I pushed myself through My SIT ’n SPIN HELL intervals.  I mentally prepared myself for every climb, every turn.  I even prepared for another run at bad weather.  I was focused and driven.  Claudia summed it up stating, “this is your Waterloo” and a battle I had to win . . .  

All those KOOL ’n da GANG words of dedication and a purpose driven life aside . . . I was a nervous wreck the days leading up to Köln.  Doubt continued to creep in under my TURTLE Shell.  I tried to spin the uncertainty from my mind and chase the butterflies from my core.  I repeated the positive self talk I got from my teammate Hans Schenk in an attempt to keep it together.  Yet I would also recalled every missed training event, each “bad” meal I ate (they were yummy though), and even the now sparse alcohol consumption.  I did math in public and counted and recounted my training hours, remeasured my weight and weight of my bike, my body fat, and sleep.  I looked for every advantage I could legally get.  I was a walking obsession as I tried to beat back the fear of failure.

The EVO Euro Clan

I even tried to work an execution plan with three other riders that would deliver me to the line under the time limit.  Again, I was such a nut case that I was getting on my own nerves . . . it was sad.  I’m certain my circle of friends and my Coach (DragonQuest Coaching) saw this and could not wait for the race to come and go.  I was getting on all their nerves too . . .

With the race on Easter Monday, Claudia and I rolled North to Köln looking forward to an Easter Service in the Dome of a great city.  And to that we were not disappointed.  Easter Mass in Latin and German was simply spectacular.  The service set my mind and heart at ease.  Dinner that night with our ragtag Evolution Cycling Club p/b Long & Foster - European Division was also just what I needed for my last bit of prep.  We laughed, joked, and and had great time.  There was nothing left to do but ride now . . .

Our plan for a group of 4 under 4 hours fell apart.  We were only 2 deep at the start as DAPS (Jim Dapper) and DIESEL (Matt Arant) were registered for the shorter distance.   By pure magic HAMMER (Jeff Pannaman) and I were in the first start block with all the big teams.  We were at the front of the bus with the fastest wheels in the German Cycling Cup surrounding us.  The opportunity to excel was just in front of our wheels.  This was starting out spic . . .

EVO Euro at the Front of the Bus

With great weather and no “hail” at the start and off we went.  I immediately lost sight of my teammate in the crowd and started to panic.  The revised plan was already falling apart. This was going to be a long morning . . .

HAMMER soon rolled up on my right and we started working our way through the field.  It pace was fast, furious, and above my threshold as surges and slowing for turns was the norm.  I was running hot the first 30 min of a 4 hour effort.  I did the complex algorithm of time, distance, TURTLE power, and choleric burn and concluded at this rate the TURTLE Shell would explode into pieces sending fragments into the peloton well before the first climb.  I had to get myself under control . . .

HAMMER on the other hand was crushing it.  We were sitting in a pace line at 40 kph and he mentioned the group was too slow.  I almost threw up a PowerBar at this comment.  WOW!!! That is what it feels like to be a ROCKSTAR . . . RESPECT!!!

We hit the first series of climbs and HAMMER danced up the road.  I remain amazed that a 220 lbs he climbs like he does.  I certainly need some of that.  I could not hold his wheel and away he would go.  He would pull back a bit at the top and I would get back on his wheel and back to work we would go.

Far from a flat course . . .

Somewhere at the 1.5 hr mark my full water bottle of PERPETUM (read FOOD) decided to depart my bike on the rough terrain.  This had happened once in training.  I was not stopping for it so gone was gone.  However if I was a wreck riding at my limit, this put me over the edge.  I was really starting to panic now.  There went the nutrition plan I practiced and perfected all Winter.  This was not looking good as redoing my mental math gymnastics showed a high probability of a bonk and defeat . . .

After 2.5 hours HAMMER said we were on pace to break 4 hours and now the question was by how much.  I told him to go do his thang as I could not match his accelerations.  I was burring matches each time we bridged up to a faster group.  HAMMER had finished right at the 4 hour mark last year so he too had a goal and off he went up the road . . .

Crushing the last set of cobbles!

I played in “no man’s land” for a short time as rain entered the mix.  I soon found myself caught by a pretty strong group and even through the rain we kept the pace high.  We rocketed through the flats but as soon as the terrain went up, I was off the front of my little band and unable to bridge to the group up the road.  I will need to work on that somehow as this was perhaps more mental than physical.  But here I was also saved as folks along the side of the road handed out water bottles.  I grabbed one and with it a bit of confidence that I would not bonk . . . YES!!!

As we completed our last climb over the cobbles the pace went viral.  I saw I was going to be under 4 hrs and started pushing the pace as best I could without blowing my final gasket.  The longer field joined the short field and fresher legs sounded us.  This was the group I needed to carry me to the finish.  I sat in near the front and refused to let up.

At the 1K banner I drilled it to the line.  When you are sitting 500 deep there is no mass sprint or glory just you and the clock.  So a hard pedal to the end was the plan the name of the game and what I did . . .

I crossed the line over 50 min better than my DNF last year at 3:52:00.  I was stoked!  This was a significant improvement and a testament to consistent training.  If I could do a back flip I would have as Claudia handed me food and a much needed Coke and the finish.  I ended up 204th for my age group and 584th over all.  The winning time of 3:08 and change was pure heat and over 20 minutes faster than last year.  All had improved and I have a new target . . .

My time in the pain cave and sacrifices to train (and obsessions) had paid off.  My season had officially started and I was more than happy with my result.  With over 20 more races on my flight path, I am on track for my best season since I started racing in 2009.

Although I was almost 45 min of the leaders, I crushed a demon and declared victory of my “Waterloo.”  I have also set my eyes forward to the next objective and continuing to move forward.  I will finish in the top 100 of my age group this year . . . no excuses!!!

LANTERNE ROUGE Season VI: 3/5 of a Carbon Cup

I landed in Germany at 1200 on a Friday, still on the bikeROCKstar high from a successful Evolution Cycling Club p/b Long & Foster  Training Camp and 10 days of time with my friends (and some great IPA…YUM!!!).  I was a changed TURTLE.  My heart and legs were ever so ready to show the European field the new and improved TURTLE Shell.  I was rebuilt, faster, stronger, and better than before.  I was eager, I was confident, I was bold and unafraid . . .

I was an idiot!!!

Turning and burning from trans-Atlantic flight to a bike race starting line in less than 24 hours is perhaps for the legs and warriors of the Pro peloton.  It was not for the mortal TURTLE.  Yet I packed my truck and hit the road with Claudia  down to the third race of five in the Schmolke Carbon Cup.  The over zealous TURTLE race schedule called for races both Saturday and Sunday.  The weather was crap and getting worse.  I had the gear, I had the legs, I had no excuses, I had a lot of things . . . I just did not have a working brain cell in my cranium.

Yet to the race I went.  As Claudia and I drove south to the wonderful region of Lake Constance (Germans call it the “Bodensee”) for the circuit race, I tried my best to ignore the rain and chilling temps.  It looked as if I had brought the bad weather from D.C. back with me—UGH!!!  Yet we put RULE #9 into effect and a fabulous 5 (TIPSTER, SHAFT, HAMMER, Jenn, and TURTLE) set out to make it happen.  

Trying to spin away the cold...

I was ever so happy to have dropped the coin on a 10x10 canopy.  At least for a short time we could warm up a bit out of the rain.  To this end I was already struggling to reach my power numbers.  I was less than 100% but refused to admit it to myself . . .

As we waited to start, the prior race was ending and we each peered at the mud covered faces.  For a flash second I thought I was at a cyclocross race.  I pinched my tires to confirm I was not dreaming.  This was going to be epic . . .

Arriving late I failed to make a run a lap of the course so lap one was discovery learning.  And learning did occur on the first little rise on the course.  I took it hard and stayed with the group.  I wanted a solid first lap with not regrets . . .

Well . . . regrets were going to happen.  The rain brought fear to me core.  I took turns slower than normal.  I grabbed brakes on the descent as fear leaped out and danced out of the TURTLE shell.  I was failing and riding backwards.  This was all bad and getting worse as my mind focused on the elements and not racing.  I could not find my groove . . .

TIPSTER took a lap, maybe two out of me.  SHAFT took another.  I was not in a happy place.  On the final lap I could not have been more relieved.  I crossed the line rolled back to turn in my timer and number and just about went into a hyperthermic shock.  I was getting cold.  Very cold.  My speech stuttered.  My body shook.  My hands trembled.  I was falling apart . . .

Back at the vehicles we stripped out our wet gear and I did not care who saw what or where.  We dropped the 10x10 that kept us out of the elements to warm up and exited stage right.  I did not care about results (finished near the bottom of the group) or anything really.  I just wanted someplace warm and fast.  Staying at Lake Constance was the saving grace as Claudia booked us into a great place.  I may not have raced like a bikeROCKstar but I sure can live like one . . .

Had dinner with HAMMER and his Frau and the evening was filled with laughs as my jet-lagged body tired to cope with the time change and the damage done trying to race.  A good night followed the hardest conditions I have ever raced in.  This 1 hour was harder than last year’s 126 km that started in a hail storm . . .

The next morning we woke to cold rain and then snow flakes.  I bailed immediately on the fourth race.  I avoided all attempts and onslaughts of peer pressure (a first for me…I normally fall like a house of cards) and just said, “NO!”  I had 24 other races on the books.  This one could slide and I would man up later.  We drove back w/ my head low.  Jenn, HAMMER, and TIPSTER put on their big boy/girl pants, invoked RULE #5 and hit the line for a race in rain, cold, and a little hail.  BEASTS!!!

I had 5 days to shake the funk and did my best to do that.  Race 5 of 5 was on deck for the coming Saturday and the weather was set to be perfect.  It was time to start our tan lines (RULE #7) . . .

With a bit longer to drive I contacted TIPSTER, the best cat on our squad who was sitting in 8th place for the series, and told him I wanted to go ugly early.  He stepped up to the call to arms and off we went blasting serious heavy metal in the truck.  We arrived early, set up our 10x10, registered, and took a few laps of the course.  It was exactly what I needed . . .

I started to get my game face on and during my warm up I was surprised to see Danny Havard roll up.  We were set to put 5 riders on the course for the 5th and final race of the series.  Life was good and getting better.  This was awesome . . .

Smiles before the pain . . .

Out the gate the young ones do what young ones do and TIPSTER went up the road.  SHAFT followed and HAMMER and I were stuck to chasing wheels.  We latched onto a good group for the first 3 laps and things were working well.  I even got yelled at for being out of position in the pace line.  Unwilling to ride point just yet, I tucked in and peddled hard . . .

After another lap or two this group got away from me and even with HAMMER we were unable to close the gap.  In “no man’s land” for a lap we picked up another group and soon I was at the front for a full lap.  SILLY TURTLE!  I should have dug deeper and held the wheel of the group that dropped us—one day I will learn to suffer better!!!

There was the lead group, the TIPSTER group, the SHAFT group and then TURTLE and HAMMER.  We were all pretty spread out on a 3K circuit.  Yet is was seriously KOOL ’n da GANG to come across the START/FINISH and have the announcer say in German, “On point is one of our American riders Theodore Wilson from Evolution Cylcing Club-Long & Foster.”  Talk about an ego boost.  I dug deeper and rode harder.  This was the best motivation one could ask for . . .

Less than a handful of rider came around me and I pushed to move up.  It was at this point that HAMMER reminded me that I had pulled this group a full lap and I should sit in . . . I listened.  With 1 lap to go HAMMER came to the front of our little group and drug me around to the climb.  As he pulled off he yelled, “It’s all you now, go TURTLE!”

Up the climb I went and drove to a 17th place finish in the series competition.  My best effort in a European race and my best finish since 2009.  The finish provided 3 point for the series and I moved into 20th place after only doing 3 of the 5 races.  I’ll take that, smile, and set my eyes on 21 April and the Rund um Köln.  I will not fail this time . . .