Fraser Bicycle - Winter TT Series (Race #2)

For a fun little winter activity and something to throw on the calendar to encourage motivation during the cold winter months in Michigan, I signed up to do a 20 mile Time Trial hosted by Fraser Bicycle.

Fraser Bike's Training Lab!

While I know what riding at FTP feels like and I have a decent idea what my current FTP is, I had never ridden for more than 20 min at FTP or spent any time riding on a Computrainer before. Frankly, while I had followed the appropriate test to approximate FTP, I really couldn’t fathom spending a hour at FTP.

After warming up for about 15 minutes, Ron from Fraser Bike calibrated my Computrainer and I was off, well, not actually off going anywhere….he said “Go” to begin my hour of pain.

From my off-season riding I had an FTP estimate of 270 (@160lbs). My plan was to ease in during the first 5 mins @ 250ish and then settle into my 270W goal. I used 5 min splits on the Garmin to help keep me honest. Keeping the timing interval low allowed me to mentally break the ride down into more manageable segments of pain and to keep a very close watch on average FTP during each segment.

Steady Freddy

I started out strong and felt pretty good throughout. Riding on the Computrainer was a really cool experience. Have trained and raced with power for a few years now I knew roughly what to expect regarding the relationship to cadence and power as the 20 mile Kona compu-course undulated. Just like in real life, I was using my Quarq PM to hold me back on the uphills and to keep me pushing on the downhills. It was fun to downshift into my biggest gear, spin it out to see 250 watts and be “traveling” 35+ mph.

I rode strong, surprisingly feeling “good” for about 45min. Then I found myself looking at the clock a lot, HR started to climb and I found myself up shifting to try to maintain my 95ish goal cadence.

Per my plan, I started to increase my power when I was within 10min from finishing. 278 for 5 min, 291 for 5 min and then “all out” at 325 for the final push. In my 20 min FTP testing, the final push was rarely possible so I was happy to see my 270 estimate was a little conservative. I squeezed out a few watts for a final FTP of 272 for a P/W ratio at FTP of 3.6. 

For the full Garmin File: click here

In the end, I finished up in 3^rdplace in the 19-39 age group behind my powerhouse, rookie pro buddy Tom and another local BAMFer who’s thrown down a 4:10 1/2IM. I’ll likely be chasing these two guys for the reminder of the series (2 races left) but this is just the motivation I was looking for to keep me pushing on the bike in the off season.

In conclusion, an hour at threshold hold is no joke regardless of the environment but I didn’t puke, I finished strong and probably most importantly, I broke through a mental plateau of what I thought was possible (1hr @ FTP). I continue to convince myself that the mental aspect of racing with the front pack is just as critical as the physical aspect.

Nutrition:
1 cup of coffee + bonk breaker bar 2 hrs pre-race. 100 cals of EFS Liquid Shot during my warmup, 1 bottle of EFS drink and bottle of water. Post race a slammed a bottle of Ultragen.

Thanks for reading.

Up Next: My "Off-season" Plan

2013 Sponsors!

With a great race schedule lined up for 2013 concluding with a big trip to a huge race on this rocky island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it's hard not to be excited for all the great things to come!

Enter sponsors on board for 2013!
I've been very fortunate to sign on for another year with First Endurance for all of my nutritional needs. I've been using First Endurance for several years and it hasn't been without a lot of trial and error throughout my endurance racing endeavors...after all, properly fueling training/racing and recovery is the critical 4th discipline.

Great mail day!

I first started using Ultragen as my primary recovery drink during the preparation for my first ironman. The following winter I focused on busting my cycling threshold and with the help of OpytygenHP, my FTP shot up almost 50W. I've since gone all in with First Endurance adding EFS drink, Pre-Race and EFS Liquid Shot to my training and high performance race day nutrition regimen. First Endurance products cover all of the needs for endurance athletes and are formulated to work together, this helps simplify the nutrition decision amongst the sea of options out there.

As an age group athlete, I do not get paid by First Endurance to use or to be a spokesmen for their products. I can ensure you First Endurance didn't seek me out. After years of trying different products and different combinations of products, I've found the full compliment of First Endurance products best meet my needs and help to maximize my performance. It has been an absolute pleasure working with Robert Kunz and his team and I look forward to continuing this relationship in 2013.

Ride like this for 5hrs?  No problem, with the right shorts!

Additionally, De Soto Sports will continue to be my training and race apparel sponsor for another year. De Soto is a relatively small company but has been around since the early 90's. Emilio and his team pride themselves in creative, functional and American made triathlon/cycling apparel. De Soto is also know for their premium quality, top notch customer service and 100% satisfaction guarantee. Last year, Ironman Wisconsin was the first iron distance race that I had ever considered racing from gun to tape in a tri short. After finding the Forza Tri Short, I am very happy (and faster) to now say that I will never have to change into and out of bike shorts in an Ironman again. Their products are incredible and I can't wait to continue logging long miles in comfort again this year!


Thanks for reading
Train Safe

Up Next:  20 mile Time Trial Report (w/Power)

2013 Schedule (tentative)

I’ve been reading Gordo Byrn (Endurance Corner) for years and a long time ago he said something like ‘until you can beat everyone in your home state you have no business traveling to races’. If I recall his comment came from a discussion about competition and what it really means to be fast, but also about triathlon expenses. 

I’ve taking that comment to heart and this year have decided to focus the majority of my 2013 race schedule right here in Michigan. I’ve been focusing on iron distance racing for so many years, I haven’t really been able to race very much or do much local racing.

So this year I’m sandwiching a bunch of local racing in-between the American Triple T Ohio and Ironman Hawaii. This will allow me to race more than I have in the past and minimize travel expenses so I can keep saving for our trip to the Big Island in October.

My goals for the upcoming season are simple. Stay healthy and have fun trying to beat anyone that wants to race! The goals for the biggest race of my life next October will deserve some additional detail but there’s plenty of time to mature those goals. So without further ado, here’s my race schedule for 2013.

Jan-May
Fraser Bicycle Winter Time Trail Series –MI
Kahtoola Michigan Mountain Run – 8k – MI
Bald Mountain Trail Run – 10k - MI
Willow Duathlon – 5k/20k/5k - MI
American Triple T - OH

June-Oct
Grand Rapids ½IM - MI
Beatles on the Bay – Oly – MI
Steelhead 70.3 - MI
Grand Rapids Titanium – 1/2IM - MI
Ironman World Championships – HI

Looking forward to great season, time to go lock in some entry fees to further encourage motivation.

Happy New Year!
Train Safe

Up Next Time: My Athletic Supporters ;)