14:50

It’s one third power, one third technique and one third what goes on in your head. I’ll put confidence as something into the last category. Returning to the familiar 9.5km (~6mi) course in the blistering heat and wind swept roads just outside of Sliven meant two things – I was not a the rookie from last year and I knew what to expect…or so I thought.

Waiting to see where the turnaround was, certainly didn’t help me put it all on the road last time; what certainly really took it out of me was the 36C (95F) heat.

Course knowledge – check, heat – unfortunately yes, 38C (100F), however, this time I came prepared. I arrived ready 10 days ago with tanlines to prove it! I also brought enough water to wash a medium sized car.

National Championship or not, it’s a race like any other, right? As I set up my bike on the trainer I looked at the clock: 15:00; 50minutes to go. That’s what every athlete lives for. The thrill of race day, the nerve wrecking adrenaline that builds up until your whole body is shaking.

The whirring noise of the trainer together with the warm sensation spilling in my whole body made me forget about everything. With the wet towel draped over my head and body, I was in my own little oasis. Ten months of training and my computer was giving me the numbers I wanted.

15:37

I could punch through a wall. I had so much adrenaline I could barely stand still. I put my race wheels on, adjusted my helmet, straightened the creases of my skinsuit, ran through the gears one last time.

15:48

“2 minutes” the words of the time keeping official resonated in my head.

“5-4-3-2-1” and my minute man set off.

“Click” and I was standing ready. “30 seconds”

15:50

Like a bronco at a rodeo gate I took off. Click, click, click as I racked up the gears and I was going race speed, pushed comfortably by the headwind down the slight gradient. Whoooooosh as the air was rushing past me. My wet skinsuit was giving me a cool sensation as I was cranking out 350Watts.

Too early for that

As I flew past my minute man I could see the first turnaround. The scorching sun was taking what was his. My skinsuit and my gaping mouth were bone dry. I turned around straight into the hot crosswind. I was overheating!!! No it wasn’t pain; even to this day I cannot find the words to describe the feeling that was running through my body.

Power was dropping every minute.

“It’s not your body that’s giving up, it’s your mind.” I had to push through. It was survival mode and I had three quarters of the most important race of my season to go…

Tailwinds

Kilometer by kilometer, the agonizing eternity was starting to hurt for real. I saw the orange skinsuit of the defending national champion – Nikolay Mihaylov – on the opposite side of the road as he had set up to add another title to his palmares. The false flat that was giving me wings just minutes ago was now an uphill that felt like a vertical wall. Second turnaround and I had the gentle arm of the tailwind trying to ease it all up. I could see one more rider close in front of me.

My enemy’s enemy is my friend

Only 9km to go…if only it was this easy. A roadkill , left for way too long in the summer heat, on the side of the road, made me almost throw up…like I didn’t have enough things to worry about. I got my head down and kept pushing ahead. At the same time I saw the orange suit of Nikolay Mihaylov much further down than last time we passed each other. The heat didn’t care who you were, it was taking it all from everybody. I wish I could say that made it easier…the ball of pain in my chest was gripping me tighter and tighter.

For one last time…

I could see the finish in the hot summer air. Like the mirage ahead of the thirsty traveler, it made me press on more. I was about to pass another more rider.

One last time up the hill. Clunk as I shifted a gear down. It was heavy. Keep spinning…clunk and I had no more gears. I got out of the saddle for one last acceleration. It seemed like I was standing still, however, the finish line finally came.

In a reflex-like manner I stopped my clock. I collapsed on my frame, besides that I don’t remember much afterwards. Somebody took my helmet off and poured water over me. I was slowly starting to come back to my senses.

What is my time????

I scrolled through my computer 52:04, more than 2 minutes faster than last time in tougher conditions than last year. Unfortunately under average power, I could see 311W instead of the 355-370W I could sustain just 3 days ago…

Results

I can’t turn back time so it all goes on, it’s a routine. Some things are permanently engrained into the brain of the high performance athlete:

Eat to recover and rehydrate…fast.

Without wasting much time, I ate my recovery food and drank most of the water I had taken with me. I packed my bike and headed back at the hotel in anticipation for the post race conference and the official results.

52:00.42 – 6th place, 4:02 from the winner, 1:20 from the podium. Wow, not bad at all!!!!

What if…

1:20 from the podium…that’s all I could think about. Although a very respectable time of 52:00 and lots of praise from other riders and coaches I knew I had legs for more. Maybe not national champion ones but close. The heat had plans of its own for the day, the wind was in on that deal as well. Both of them, didn’t make it easy for anybody. I bested 6 places and 2minutes 15 seconds from last year…40Watts and I could have been on that podium…if only….

It goes on, if you got everything you wanted why train and set goals, right=)

Numbers Don’t Lie

198bpm average heart rate, 205bpm maximum. Wow…I had managed to average what I max out at during my best performances. Heat is a cruel mistress.

38km, 52:00.42, 311W Avg/313W xPower, 198bpm Avg

Day 2: Road Race

“Hold on for the first 20km, after that it’s easy”

A summary of the road race in one sentence.

Sounds simple enough. Eight laps on the 18km (11mi) circuit with a 200m (660ft) climb in the middle with an extra 6km (4mi) for an uphill finish, not so simple.

Not too many trees to keep the eastern wind away from the road. On the positive side it was ‘only’ 30C (86F). I had my car and my cousin driving with instructions to hand me bottles to keep dehydration at bay; 150km (¬95mi) is no joke without food and water. Thankfully my good placing at the TT the day before meant I will not have to drop very far backwards and my ‘support vehicle’ would be near the front of the caravan.

The official gave the start and it was off. In less than 10seconds attacks started flying off the front and the first breakaway materialized. Three riders put a good amount of distance. None of the favorites and the defending champion seemed to be bothered. Almost imperceptibly the pace went into afterburner. As legs were screaming and lungs burning, the peloton strung out on the tarmac.

Everybody was together as the three guys in the breakaway were still off the front. Another attack and it was everybody in one line again, I could feel yesterday’s TT in my legs.

Once more the pace kicked up and we were on the hill. The peloton was splitting. I wished I was a 50kg (110lbs) climber. With the wind rushing past me on the long descent I was back into the group. . The pace was manageable. After a few more accelerations and 20km were over.

Right at the 20km mark as predicted, quite disturbingly so,  the speed dropped. national championships, sure, let’s have a conversation. The calm before the storm.

A few guys took off the front and the peloton was not planning on letting them go easily. Like an accordion we kept snaking across the circuit and we were back at the bottom of the hill. The accelerations were stinging and a group broke away clear.

I wasn’t in it. We regrouped after the descent, the new breakaway was within reach. Nobody was willing to do the work for the others in the crosswind, it was every man for himself. As we battled against the sidewind, the hill came again and whoever missed the split the previous lap made the jump. I couldn’t match the acceleration and at this moment I knew it was over. Lap 3 out of 8 at the 2013 National Championships was when the split of the race-wining move happened.

My numbers: 1hour 7minutes, 273W Avg/302W xPower

Recap

Coming into the race I had one goal – finish. After missing the split, the race was over, riding 110km solo just for the sake of finishing was not worth it. At the top of the hill I threw the towel and put my bike at the back of the car.

I had a ear-to-ear smile. I was ridiculously happy. I just quit the National Championships road race and was beaming with excitement!?!?!?!

As I took a minute to analyze the situation, I realized that me, the amateur, had just been against guys who have done the Vuelta a Espana (Danail Petrov, 4 time national champion) and others who have competed in ProTour and UCI category 1 and 2 events. I had my ass literally handed down to me.

I loved every minute of it. That’s what sports is all about, being in competition with yourself, not the other guy, with YOU.

As guys rolled into the hotel, they shook my hand and with smirks on their faces said: “It doesn’t get that hot in The Netherlands, eh?”

“Nope it doesn’t”=))))

If you had asked me some 3-4 years ago whether I saw myself competing against some of the best in the sport, I would have probably laughed at you in disbelief. I came, I saw and I learned. I will be back next year, better, stronger and ready!

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The post Hot, Hot, HOT and Hilly: National Championships 2013 appeared first on The Tall Cyclist.

A quick update before I get into more details soon.

During the 2013 Bulgarian National championships with a time of 52:00,44 I finished 6th in the TT in the crosswind buffeted 38C (100F) course, 1:20 from the podium. I bested my 12th place and time of 54:14 from last year (same course) so I am VERY VERY HAPPY.

During the 152km (~100mi) road race on the 18km (~10.5mi) circuit I couldn’t match the accelerations when the split of the winning move happened on the third lap on the uphill section of the course, so I left the race after 45km (~27mi).

Coming from the flat and cold Netherlands to the hilly and boiling hot Bulgaria I knew it was going to be challenging even after 10 days to acclimatise, so I handled it as best as I could, giving me extra motivation for the rest of the year and for next season.

Overall it was a very successful 2 days of racing with some nice developments for my cycling future!

So stay tuned for the details/pictures!

The post 2013 National championships Update. 6th on the TT!!! appeared first on The Tall Cyclist.

The Race

The course was a ¬9.5km segment that had to be traveled 4 times – so there were 3 turnarounds. The tarmac was smooth and in perfect condition. The total elevation profile looked like a very wide ‘W’ for an elevation change of 50m (155ft).

It was not just hot, it was boiling hot. The outside temperature sensor of my car was recording 36 C after the race when the sun was past its highest point. While I was putting on my cycling shoes I couldn’t keep my bare feet on the asphalt for more than 5-10seconds at a time.

I did my best to stay out of the sun and drink lots of fluids during my warmup. I soaked my skinsuit with water in an attempt to prevent overheating. I took a full 750ml bottle with a very diluted sugary drink on the bike (more concentrated solution would have made absorbtion slower). I was number 6 from the end to start. The top 5 finishers from last year were going to be ‘chasing’ me down the course. I lined up at the start just as my minute man was about to set off on his race.

I pushed off at my planned pace of 330W right from the line. It was hot and my skinsuit dried off seemingly in a matter of minutes. Something was not feeling right. In about 7km out of the 9,5km of the first leg I started getting the telltale signs that I am going well above my limits – my diaphraghm was starting to cramp and I was switching back and forth the same two rear cogs in attempt to find the right gear without any success. If I was to finish I had to ease up. So I slowly pulled back on the gas. The first turnaround came quick and after two big gulps of water I was back in my aero tuck pushing 285-290W average. That felt like the maximum power I could sustain without blowing up. I was back in the race!

After the second turnaround at the beginning of the course I briefly switched my Garmin 500 to show speed (My race screen shows only Distance, Cadence, 3s, 30s, Lap and Total Average power). I was currently going at 45-46km/h. At this point I knew the race was not going to be the abysmal failure I suspected. That gave me the needed confidence to focus only on maximizing my effort on the course. As I mentioned earlier the elevation profile was NOT flat, rather a wide ‘W’. Enough to throw off your pacing, not enough to require different power output on the uphill/downhill sections. I decided that constant power would yield the best time.

Pushing 290W was all I could make my body do, I tried to accelerate on a couple of occassions, I was not able to. I had to drink a couple of times in the remaining kilometers. The course was buffeted by crosswinds at some parts. I almost lost control while drinking in the aero position once due to some wind gusts. In the last 7km or so I got passed by three riders. They just stood at 20-70m in front of me and didn’t accelerate. I crossed the line with nothing left. As soon as I rolled to a stop the temperature felt even hotter. All I could do is sit on the ground and drink water, LOTS of water. The original Garmin file can be found here. I will post the GoldenCheetah graph once I am back at my computer.

Lessons learned.

I expected the weather to be challenging. It was game changing. According to my Garmin Edge 500, it was a blistering 38 C at the start of my TT. I was sufficiently hydrated at the start so I did not suffer from dehydration. In numbers the heat cost me 40W. I know I can sustain 330-335W on my TT bike and 350W on a regular road bike. After reviewing my data I had managed to sustain a HR of 190-195bpm (my other races it was hovering in the 185-190bpm for a good part of the race) right from the start. I was working as hard as possible, the heat was sapping away my power. For next year I need to find a way to get more adjusted to the heat. I drank 3.5L of fluids after the race.

Also before the championship TT I had a month completely free of racing. I think that cost me some top end. I was never big on tapers, however, I decided I should try 2 weeks as suggested in most training programs. I had 4 days of driving to do in the week of the race so I should not have taken the previous week so easily (4h total training time). Maybe my body was too relaxed going into such a tough race. I should not ignore pure race efforts in the buildup.

I only had 10 days to get adjusted to riding a full TT bike, which I am sure also had a price. The day after the race in addition to the usual fatigue, I was sore in places where I have no complaints when racing my road bike

In addition as a first time starter, very strangely to me, I got put towards the end of the start list with all the favorites (they all broke 50min and finished top 5). They could use me as a ‘carrot on a stick’ while I had no idea if I was gaining ground on my minuteman. Not as important, however, it is a bit demotivating being passed on the final stretch.

Going into the championships I was hoping for a time of 57minutes on an average day and 55min if I do the perfect race. I did 54.16 in a suboptimal race with mediocre (for my level of fitness) power numbers. My second half was 15seconds faster than my first so I managed to salvage my efforts and do negative splitting in a race that was initially heading for disaster. I placed behind cyclists that are going to represent Bulgaria at the 2012 Olympics in a month so I couldn’t be happier!

For next year’s championships my FTP should improve in numbers so I can only be excited of what time I could clock sustaining 350-380W!!!

I will take some days off on the beach to recover and travel back to The Netherlands before I start training for the Dutch Amateur TT Championships in September. I will post a detailed review of my TT equipment very soon.

Also this blog broke 200 views for June so I would like to send a big thank you to all my readers and supporters!

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The post National TT Championships 2012 Recap appeared first on The Tall Cyclist.

Fitness and Equipment

I completed a solid 8 weeks of base training starting January and I have done a number of Time Trials going through the 5 week Build phase, leaving me with a 4-5 weeks to work on any weaknesess/bike fit/etc and taper. My race power numbers were all around my FTP – 350-355W. I did experiment with pacing and did blow up in one race, so I am aware of my limits. I made some significant position changes for my last race which I think cost me about 10-15W. It is a lower and narrower position so it is a good trade-off. Sustaining 330-335W for the 40K is a very reasonable goal.

I also bought a second hand SRM crank power meter so I can use a rear disc rather than my 32 spoke Powertap wheel. I got a HED3 and a HED Stinger Disc used so I have one of the fastest wheel combinations available. I changed the original lighter tyres with ones with some puncture protection as an extra safety measure. I have a narrow range 11-23 cassette installed and ready to go.

Furthermore after months of waiting and promises I finally have a real TT bike: a Cervelo P3, rather than an converted road bike with clip-on aerobars. One small addition, the frame developed some cracks around the seatpost opening. The shop called Cervelo and this seems to be a problem they have seen before, also online forums have some P3 owners with similar issues. Most likely it is just cosmetic paint cracking, however, I will have to keep an eye on it, especially be aware of the seatpost slipping down. This is a literally ‘make it or break it’ situation. I did get the green light from Cervelo to go and ride, what would happen in terms of warranty remains to be seen. Nonetheless, the bike is FAST, there is no doubt about it and quite comfortable. The small cracks aside, it lives up to the hype surrounding the Cervelo P series of bicycles. Ideally I would have liked to have longer time to get used to it, however, 10 or so days should be enough to let my body adapt.

I also found aerodynamic shoe covers and although my team skinsuit did not arrive in time (sponsor issues), I have a an unmarked black one which I will be using for the race.

Overall unlike my previous races I have world class equipment so I will not be at a disadvantage before even getting off the starting line.

Other

I am completely unfamiliar with the course. From previous years it was an out and back race on the highway outside the town of Sliven. I do not think it will be very technical or involving significant elevation changes. If marked properly I should be able to focus entirely on pedaling hard, rather than missing a turn. Another more significant aspect is the weather. I am expecting temperatures in the 30-35C degrees range. Here in The Netherlands, jokes aside, the mercury rarely creeps above 20C, on a good day. Wind conditions should not be worse that what I have been getting here. I am going couple of days in advance to recon the roads and to get used to the heat. Hydration will be key. Also it is a 2300km drive from The Netherlands to Bulgaria. I am planning of taking my time and doing it in 3 days, stopping by my parents house in Sofia for a day, before heading for Sliven. I will do some short (30-45min) workouts in hotel rooms/parking lots on the Tacx to keep my body into ‘race’ awareness.

This would be my first experience of a high-caliber race, I hope not the last one. There probably will be some Continental PROs mixed with fast club racers. Any unforeseen circumstances aside I am excited and looking forward to setting some personal best numbers. I will post an event recap after the race.

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