Dud in the Alpine Classic

The Alpine Classic is a 200km cyclosportive (It's not a race; yeah sure!) with 4500m climbing. It's a major event on the Australian cycling calendar. Last your I completed it in 7:45, putting me in the top 5%.
This year, I'm determined to better that. Pace, pace, pace. steady up Tawonga, steady up Falls Creek, fly back down! Tawonga again - this seems hard (It's very hot: 32degrees). After 4:30hrs riding, I get back to Bright 6minutes ahead of schedule. I'm happy and booming! I race into the motel (on the route), change bidons and jersey (already packed with new food bars). Go to the bathroom, and discover I've not been drinking enough. Bidon of liquid down my throat.
During the simulation I enjoyed eating muesli. So, why not? In goes a bowl for good measure. Big mistake! It takes all the liquid in my stomach, deprives me of it, and the muesli sits there like a rock. I could hardly move another 10km. Cramps, spasms, vomit. Even the flat road seems to have a 10% gradient. I stop, lie down beside the road for 15min, and with my tail between my legs, crawl back to Bright. DNF is not a good feeling, even though I learnt a huge lesson. :(

Go Jim - In NYC

Jim's out training hard - the fact that it's 23degrees is ok by him - in New York. That sort of temperature is ok by me too , but then only if it is celsius! Good on you Jim! (I think I'm the wimp (in sunny Sydney!). I cannot remember when I last saw snow, let alone touched it. STEVEN

Simulate RAAM for 2 days

So my coach and I have lunch. He says: "we really need a base for the main training for RAAM". And I respond: "I should do a simulation - just how we will ride in the Race". He says: "no, let's make it harder at the start".
And the next Tuesday and Wednesday, I do a bit of riding:

Tuesday 4^th 4 hr ride between 6:00-10:00am, and then 1hr rides at 2:00-3:00pm, 4:00-5:00pm, and 10:00-11:00pm, and further on Wed 5^th between 12:00-1:00am, 6:00-7:00am, 8:00-9:00am, 2:00-3:00pm, and 4:00-5:00pm.

I rode 362.80km (225miles), 29% of what each of us will do during the Race. I learnt a lot:

1. The simulation is crucial – we must all do it. Whilst I did 2 days, 3 days would be even better. (Maybe again, at Easter?)

2. The 1 hour rides were just long enough – I was glad to finish each of them after 1 hour (mine had some flexibility as at times I needed to return home, which added time and changed the speed parameters). I felt that the 1 hour rest between rides was too long. This may well be because I was on my own, and I got a bit bored (which won't happen during RAAM!). I felt that I obtained sufficient sleep, even in 4 hr time slots (which were also occupied with showers, eating, walking the dogs)

3 I got chafed from the TT bike on the 1^st afternoon – ouch!. We will need to use LOTS of chamois cream. (It stopped me from choosing my TT bike for the 2^nd afternoon rides - good lesson!)

4. Those nagging injuries which we all have, and which have an annoyance/pain factor of 1/2 or1/10 come to the fore real fast. I need to get them fixed now!! For example, I have a tight upper right glute muscle, which gave my nasty sharp pain twinges on the last night rides, and my AC joint in the right shoulder (from a crash) ached.

5. The Intensity Factor for each ride was between 0.61 and 0.69, but I felt that I was working harder. This will have an impact when we do the real, longer Race.

6. I had the feeling (incorrect) that I could not ride as fast in the middle of the night (10-11pm + 12:00-1:00am);

7. I averaged 29.7kph (18.46mph). In part that is due to City Traffic, getting home, hills, unsupported, not the same motivation, etc. We can increase that during the race, because we won’t have to worry about City Traffic and stoplights, and we’ll have the extra support and motivation. The downside is that we’ll be riding longer!!

8. I was cold on the last ride, this afternoon at 28degrees Celsius (82 degrees F). I suspect that this was telling me that I have been working very hard. We need to watch out for that.

9. Can we have a Nespresso machine in the MotorHome?

10. We will complete RAAM!

And then I rode Friday, Saturday and a Time Trial on Sunday. I posted by 2nd best time ever: 38:33 for 25km hilly out and back. Happy!

165 days before we start!

It's just a number, 165 days between today and 18 June. It's not many. We're in 2011 already (it's the 3rd Jan). Training is being ramped up, initially for the sub-goals, and then for the Main Event!
One upcoming sub-goal is on 23 January : to do the Alpine Classic 200km in Bright Victoria AU in less than 8 hours (200km, 3800m climbing (120miles, 12,500feet). See www.alpineclassic.com.au. Last year, that's where this project really started - at the meeting point, someone was wearing a RAAM jersey. Like "across a crowded room", I rush over and say "I want one of those!". The response: "it will be the hardest thing you'll do" immediately made me even more determined! The person wearing the RAAM jersey was Glenn Druery, who has done RAAM a few times, and ironically, works 2 buildings away from me in Sydney. We've had some great talks since, and he has been a great motivator.
Tomorrow I start a pseudo-RAAM: 2 days of riding within our proposed RAAM timetable. It arose from lunch with my coach last Wednesday; he thought it would be good to have a baseline - to see how I scrub up afterwards. Glenn Druery says the same: get the feel of RAAM. So I'm riding like we will in RAAM: 4 hour blocks riding 1 hour on, one hour off. Because I will have a nice bed etc, we're making the starting segment much harded - a 4 hour ride. So I'm riding Tuesday 6:00-10:00am, 2:00-3:00pm, 4:00-5:00pm, 10:00-11:00pm, Wednesday 12:00midnight-1:00am, 6:00-7:00am, 8:00-9:00am, 2:00-3:00pm, and 4:00-5:00pm.