Caleb Pike 2: Tactical Torture
If you read my race review of last weeks Caleb Pike, you likely know that it didn't go all too well for me. This week I decided to drop down to the B group (I say drop down but it's really just not racing up a level). I'm starting to focus on Tour de Bloom, a stage race in Washington, and I wanted to get a better feel for what cat 3 racing is like (this was my first race as a cat 3 that didn't have cat 1s or 2s).
Again I'll start a bit earlier. Yesterday I did the Oak Bay Saturday ride. I got dropped going over pano, but still managed to average a respectable 34kph for close to three hours. I had the second highest average power of any ride since getting out here, my legs felt pretty toast after that ride, so I came home and continued to do nothing for the rest of the day. I was genuinely concerned that I wouldn't be able to do a stage race.
Then I woke up this morning, feeling fresh as ever. I rode out to Caleb Pike with a group of guys who I don't know all that well, and two guys who I do know. I can tell that my top end isn't there today, probably because I've really only done group rides and endurance rides, but my legs were feeling good enough that I wanted to spice things up in the B group.
At the start of the race Killian and I decided to ride together (aka not chase each other down, let gaps open up when it's advantageous) which forced other people in the group to do a lot more work than they wanted to. I like these tactics, force other people to chase a move and then counter. I'd often attack the back side of the course, there's a downhill that I can hammer into, coast down, and by the time I'm halfway up the hill (still coasting) I've opened a 5-10 second gap I never tried attacking the hill, I just like sag climbing.
I got into a couple breaks today, but couldn't manage to make anything stick. Either I wasn't happy with the break because it was only 2-3 people with a small gap, or it was too big and nobody wanted to pull through. I get it, but being in a successful break would be pretty fun.
With 2 to go, there hadn't been any successful breaks, so I told Killian I'd attack the downhill and stay off the front as long as I could, when I get caught, counter. The attack went fairly well, I was chased down as expected, caught with half a lap to go, Killian attacked, but couldn't make it stick. I tried to attack the downhill again, but after being off the front for almost a lap, and you know, it being the last lap, I couldn't open a gap at all, so I sat up and soft pedalled to the line for a mediocre finish, I'm ok with that though, my last lap and a half was ridden to try and make someone else win.
It's nice having one race under the belt where I don't get dropped. As for prepping for Bloom, tomorrow is intervals and a spicy group ride, then it's intervals or rest days the rest of the week. Also, I know I've been missing my regularly scheduled Tuesday blog posts, I'll get back on that this week.
Stay cool internet ;)
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| The valves aren't centred because I was racing.... right? |
Again I'll start a bit earlier. Yesterday I did the Oak Bay Saturday ride. I got dropped going over pano, but still managed to average a respectable 34kph for close to three hours. I had the second highest average power of any ride since getting out here, my legs felt pretty toast after that ride, so I came home and continued to do nothing for the rest of the day. I was genuinely concerned that I wouldn't be able to do a stage race.
Then I woke up this morning, feeling fresh as ever. I rode out to Caleb Pike with a group of guys who I don't know all that well, and two guys who I do know. I can tell that my top end isn't there today, probably because I've really only done group rides and endurance rides, but my legs were feeling good enough that I wanted to spice things up in the B group.
At the start of the race Killian and I decided to ride together (aka not chase each other down, let gaps open up when it's advantageous) which forced other people in the group to do a lot more work than they wanted to. I like these tactics, force other people to chase a move and then counter. I'd often attack the back side of the course, there's a downhill that I can hammer into, coast down, and by the time I'm halfway up the hill (still coasting) I've opened a 5-10 second gap I never tried attacking the hill, I just like sag climbing.
I got into a couple breaks today, but couldn't manage to make anything stick. Either I wasn't happy with the break because it was only 2-3 people with a small gap, or it was too big and nobody wanted to pull through. I get it, but being in a successful break would be pretty fun.
With 2 to go, there hadn't been any successful breaks, so I told Killian I'd attack the downhill and stay off the front as long as I could, when I get caught, counter. The attack went fairly well, I was chased down as expected, caught with half a lap to go, Killian attacked, but couldn't make it stick. I tried to attack the downhill again, but after being off the front for almost a lap, and you know, it being the last lap, I couldn't open a gap at all, so I sat up and soft pedalled to the line for a mediocre finish, I'm ok with that though, my last lap and a half was ridden to try and make someone else win.
It's nice having one race under the belt where I don't get dropped. As for prepping for Bloom, tomorrow is intervals and a spicy group ride, then it's intervals or rest days the rest of the week. Also, I know I've been missing my regularly scheduled Tuesday blog posts, I'll get back on that this week.
Stay cool internet ;)
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