REALITY OF GETTING OLD

 Last week my friend, Chris, was gasping for air as we stopped after a long climb.  He is about fifteen years my junior and asked how much speed/endurance (not the words he used) drop-off I encountered as I aged.  I thought about my race times and answered that not much changed.  Now that I've had a chance to consider the question in totality, I need to expand on the answer.  Chris rides a lot but doesn't race, yet.

I started racing Senior Games at 62 and was pleased that in the first four that year I didn't finish last.  I was no where near first.  I also started doing cycling vacations of various lengths several years prior to that, including riding coast-to-coast.  There is nothing like 52 days (48 cycling, 5 rest) of 80 miles per day average to increase strength and stamina.  But let's get back to the question at hand.

From 62 to 77 my racing times didn't drop off much.  The reason for that is the amount of race training I did increased quite a bit.  It also included a dramatic change in equipment.  The new bikes/tires are 'way much faster than what I had been racing on.  I spend a lot more time in the gym (3-5 days a week), beginning several years ago.  Since Chris doesn't race, I started thinking about my routine rides.  I've been taking the same road up to Walburg for twenty-five years.  There is one particular short climb (maybe fifty yards) that I remember taking in the big ring without a problem.  I haven't been able to do that in fifteen years.  I can still make it up Courtyard and Jester without stopping, but I'm using bigger and bigger cogs to achieve that.  So, a slightly different answer to the question: if you keep doing what you were doing, yes, you will get slower.  You have to do more.  It takes more reps (like twice to four times) to achieve the same strength.  Pay lots more attention to your cardio-vascular system.

Here is what I suggest: a weekly hill ride and a weekly HR ride.  The Wednesday ride out of Trek Research has a decent amount of climbing, but there are other challenges around Austin.  There are several drills I do: 15 second accelerations followed by 45 seconds rest by ten times; rest five minutes and do it again and a third time.  Increase that to 20/40 and 30/30 as you develop.  Or, 3 sets 5 minutes each 60, 100, 80 rpm with five minutes between.  Both of those can also be done on a trainer.   Another HR drill is Jumps.  Starting at 90 rpm, do a 15 second out of saddle acceleration.  After 15 minute warm-up, do ten of these with 5 minutes between (actually, 4 minutes, 45 seconds to keep timing simple).  

One more caveat: exercise is one of the easiest habits to break.  CONSTANT VIGILENCE!  As Professor Moody would say.

CHANGING FLATS, UPDATED.

      My friend, Randy, at Natchez Trace Travel asked me to jot down a few tips on what to take when doing the Trace, or any other ride for that matter. He advises these will be on his website next week. While cycling this morning, it occurred to me that I had seen many riders, whom I considered experienced, flumoxed when it came to a simple tire change. In my tips, I assume good changing abilities, but to cover myself, I'll expand on the tire/tube changing experience. 

     The three most common causes of flats are: 1) Tube malfunction, e.g. the stem leaks; 2) Pinch flat, caused when you hit a hole or rock and the tire momentarily allows the tube to crash against the rim, resulting in two holes that look like a snake bite; 3) Puncture, as when glass, nail or staple, or sharp rock, penetrates the tire and tube. I shan't mention operator error, when you goof up when installing the tube. We will assume this was done correctly. If you are going on a long ride, like the 444 miles of the Natchez Trace, put new tubes in before you go, practically eliminating cause #1. Keep your tires properly inflated, thus minimizing cause #2. Use a product like Tire Tuffy, minimizing cause #3. 

     But, things happen. Let's assume you are cycling along (not racing) and a flat occurs. Here is what you do: 1. Find a safe and comfortable place (as best you can) to work. 2. Remove the wheel (we all hope it is the front, but it usually is the rear). 3. Remove and arrange your tire changing tools and the spare tube (I use new tubes on the road, patched at home, as this cuts down on the frustration of a installing a defective tube and having to start over). 4. Before doing anything else, inspect the tire to determine the source of the flat. If found, mark the spot with the chalk you carry in your saddle pack. 5. Release one side of the tire, pull out the tube, again marking the tube at the site of the puncture before completely removing it. (I'm assuming knowledge of tire lever usage) 6. Run your fingers (slowly) around the inside of the tire, with special attention to the chalked area, to find the pin, glass etc. that caused the puncture. You may have to remove the tire completely and turn it inside-out in order to find and remove the offending object. I saw one person go through 3 tubes before an experienced traveler interceded and found the glass. Don't skip this step, even if you removed the nail (for instance) from the outside. It is an opportunity to inspect the whole tire. Once satisfied all is clean, move to the next step. 7. Blow a little air into the tube, enough to give it a round shape (maybe 10 pounds). This makes it easier to move out of the way when re-installing the tire. Be sure one side of the tire is already in place before putting in the tube. 8. Be very careful not to catch a piece of the tube with the tire lever when putting on the tire. This will cause a pinch-flat before you even get started. That is also why you put some air in the tire first. 9. After the tire is re-installed, with hands about 3 inches apart, pinch the tire away from the rim, visually making sure the tube didn't sneak out under the tire bead, all the way round the tire. This only takes about 30 seconds and is very important. 10. Air up the tire half-way. Inspect again for bulges or the tube not being inside the tire. 11. Air it up completely. You are finished, except for cleaning up and putting the wheel back on. 

    Forcing yourself to take the time to go through all the steps will result in much less frustration and only adds a few minutes to the whole operation. Occasionally you will receive a gaping hole in the tire, usually a nail or staple. Simply installing a new tube is inadequate, in that when inflated, it will push through the hole in the tire. I carry a 3 inch section of old tire (called a boot) in my saddle pack, and put this over the hole between the tire and tube. This works quite well, especially when the hole is in the sidewall, although each revolution of the tire produces a slight (annoying) bump. I also carry some duct tape and a small section of this over the inside of the tire also works well. In an emergency, paper currency will work, as will a mylar candy wrapper.  Park Tool sells a nice one which is less bulky than a section of old tire.

NOT WHAT I PLANNED

 After racing at Nationals it was clear I needed another two mph in my time trial.  I took a few days off then eased back into riding.  The day designated to find what gear and rpm ratio would give me 24mph turned out to be a no-energy day that turned into a simple recovery ride.  This past weekend I planned to do a 26 miler with the Trek Parmer folks on Saturday and a longer ride with Trek Lamar on Sunday.  Saturday morning spawned a two hour thunderstorm and the ride was canceled.  The Sunday morning ride turned into more of a social which included stopping for breakfast tacos.  Not what I needed.

But all wasn't lost.  The Saturday ride was announced for Sunday.  I was good for that.  Seven of us showed up and all were experienced riders, so it would be a good workout.  We were clicking right along, not having to regroup.  Training Peaks gave me four PR's for the first part of the ride.  Then, as we toodled along, we approached a lady walking her dog.  I recognized her as a former co-worker who I hadn't seen since her retirement.  I called out and circled back to say hello.  I intended to do a quick thirty-second stop and return quickly to the group.  It was more like two minutes.  But the guys didn't stop.  

I've done this ride three or four times but with the various twists and turns, really had no idea of the route.  I mis-remembered a turn and missed the actual turn.  After a few minutes I came to an intersection that looked familiar.  I took a right turn and verified I was back on course.  But was I ahead of the group or had they already passed?  I went back about a quarter mile but became unsure of the turns so gave up and headed for home (Trek Store).  But that's not the end of the story, because I still didn't know the way.  As it turned out, I knew enough of the route plus general direction.  I took a few wrong turns but since I knew what direction, it was only a few blocks out of the way.  Several times this happened.  Finally, I found Great Oaks Drive and was able to retrace my steps back to Trek.

I was about ten minutes ahead of the group who had stopped and waited for me and looked for me for about fifteen minutes before giving up.  I apologized profusely for getting lost and not hooking back up.  I guess I need to learn how to download the route to my Garmin and learn how to follow it.  Plus, I will now carry my phone with me.  Chris called looking for me, but the phone was safely in the car.  I blame this all on Covid and getting out of the habit of group riding.  

A WEEK OF RACING, MAY 2022

To be precise, this was four races plus a warm-up day over eight days.  It started with the USAC Texas State Time Trial Championships in Hempsted, Texas, then two time trials and a road race at Senior Games Nationals in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  We had planned to take three days driving, starting on Saturday, May 14 in order to race on the 18th, 19th,and 21st.  Then I found out about the State Time Trials scheduled for the 14th.  Fortuitously, Hempsted is on the way, so we just backed up our departure time a couple hours, did the race, and immediately got in the car to head east.

USA Cycling generally attracts a faster group of participants than Senior Games.  And their distance is more challenging at 20k (younger riders do 40K).  At Senior Games the time trials are 5k and 10k.  However, this was going to be a pressure-less race, in that, for whatever reason, there were no competitors in my age group.  Our arrival time was on schedule and I could get in a good thirty-minute warm up which included cadence repeats.  I've found that short bursts of high cadence (preferably around 120 rpm) gets the heart rate up over 130 bpm, or about 80% of max.  

The Hempsted course is quite simple: out-and-back on a straight, smooth asphalt, mostly flat road.  I eschewed the small starting ramp and just held onto a rail and eased into the start.  It took about a quarter mile to stabilize HR, cadence, and speed at around 90 rpm and 21 mph.  Interestingly enough, even though I was into a slight wind going out, I was faster, using less watts than on the return.  The small dips in the road made the difference.  The average speed of 21.2 met my goal of 21mph.  For Nationals I felt I should be over 22mph.  

Before the race, I asked the race director if I could pick up my medal after the race so that we could hit the road toward Fort Lauderdale as soon as possible.  Not only was my medal waiting for me, he held an individual ceremony and announcement.  Classy!

We arrived in Fort Lauderdale Monday afternoon and immediately went to credentials pickup at the convention center.  I was a bit put off by the apparent lack of organization.  The goody-bag was sparse.  A portent of things to come.  On Tuesday I first drove over to the time trial course to preview.  It was a loop around the parking lot of the Panthers hockey rink and included several turns which required coming off the aero bars.  I tried the one corner and could maneuver on the bars at 18mph but not higher so resigned myself to not trying it.  This only costs at most two seconds, probably just one.  It would be more should there be a slower rider entering the corners ahead of you.  The road race course was a thirty-minute drive and would be conducted on city streets with coned-off lanes.  Naturally, there were no cones on Tuesday.  I made the decision to just ride a square portion of the course, avoiding a left turn in traffic.  As it turned out, I also mis-read where the start line was.   Not previewing the whole course was a mistake.

My start time for the 5k time trial on Wednesday was 7:36am and I arrived at 6:15 and prepared to warm up.  The course would be closed before the first person went off at 7:00, but I was able to get in three loops before that which allowed me to bring my HR up.  The remainder of the warm up was on a road around a shopping mall and this is where I did my cadence drills.  I left time for recovery and took the opportunity to observe the early starters in order to get a sense of how things would go.  The starter called the age group up, but because this was chip-timed he didn't feel the need to have them start in their assigned times, just so long they were in the assigned group.  I took advantage of this in my race and when my group was called, I was first in line.  Because the 5k was a loop and a half, Marilane chose to see me at the finish.

The race itself was uneventful.  You would think that at Nationals they would have a start ramp and a bike holder.  They had neither.  I pushed off and clipped in at the first rotation then accelerated.  In the past I'd push too hard at first and miss the clip.  The first turn was only about thirty yards from the start, so I didn't get into the aerobars until after that.  Then it was quickly up to speed, coming off the bars for the left turn, and back into them.  Cadence, heart rate, and speed were all according to plan and I finished strong.  Third place (22.6 mph), not close to second and well ahead of fourth.  First place is always Durward.  He is a nice guy, my age so I can't age away from him, and much faster than me.

But that's not the end of the story.  Even though we were chip timing, apparently the computer wasn't programmed to sort everything out.  Rather than take ten minutes after the last person in the group finished, after several hours of waiting it was announced that awards would be done the next day after the 10k.  There was some hope results would be online at 3pm, but it took almost 24 hours before they were posted.

For the 10k, warm-up was identical to the previous day.  However, they had learned their lesson and we now had to start at our assigned times.  Carbon copy of the 5k except twice as long.  Actually, the 5k was a tad short and the 10k a tad long.  I made a change in tactics and went with a slightly lower cadence (6rpm) and higher gear for the first three laps then picked it up for the last third.  My computer speed and the official timing isn't the same.  They have me at 20.9 and I have 21.7mph.  They are also off by at least ten seconds in the finish time.  It didn't matter.

When calling the groups to the awards ceremonies, they skipped ours.  Apparently there was a discrepancy.  Well, let me tell you!  This is where I found out these races were being held without a race director!!  The head timing guy was tasked with making all the decisions.  Here's the whole story.  Some old people come to the Senior Games with very little race experience and some with very little common sense.  The race map very clearly shows the 10k as 3 1/2 laps of the course.  That means you go through the finish line four times.  Multiple times the starter would announce the course as three and a half loops but sometimes would not add that that meant passing the finish line four times.  One guy in our age group did a 5k and stopped.  The guy who was second in the 5k stopped after the third time.  Rather than being penalized with a DNF, they were allowed a Mulligan.  He was slower on his second attempt but still faster than me, so I got the bronze medal (21.7mph).  It only took a couple of hours before getting my two medals.

Friday was thankfully a rest day.  It rained off and on all day, some of it quite a downpour.  When driving to the road race on Saturday we passed the time trial course and it was under water.  A 7:14 start time meant leaving before 6am.  Bummer.  The races started at 7:00am with various age groups going off at two or four minute intervals.  There were twelve guys in our group.  Durward, me, and nine other guys who did the time trials and were slower than me.  And George.  George didn't do the time trials so was coming in on fresh legs.  I knew all I had to do was hang behind Durward and I'd coast to a medal.

As we started, one guy led out and I grabbed his wheel.  This lasted about a minute before Durward came whistling by and I jumped on his wheel.  We got a gap immediately and it got bigger and bigger.  We were about a mile into the race and I checked my mirrors and saw nothing and announced that it was just us.  Less than a minute later George had caught us.  The three of us were around three and a half miles into it when two younger guys came past.  Durward jumped on their wheel, I on his and George was gapped.  But they were cruising at 28mph and I can't hold that for very long.  Sadly I had to let them go and not long after that George had made up the gap.  But he made no attempt to share the front and sucked wheel for a couple of miles.  An aside, the first lap is 10.5k and has a left turn and the second lap is 9.5k and you go straight.  After a right turn you need to be on the left to set up for the turn.  There were no signs and the volunteer wasn't very loud.  George and I didn't immediately set up for the turn and unfortunately a large group of fast guys on their last lap almost ran us over.  Anyhow we got through unscathed and got back up to speed.  Since George was on my wheel, I decided I'd ride at a comfortable pace and get ready for the final sprint.  But I had about seven miles before that occurred.  At around the eleven mile mark the other guys caught us.  For me, that was a blessing, in that now I could draft.  George continued to draft.  With a half mile to go one guy accelerated but was quickly caught.  That put us into sprint mode.  We made the final turn and upped the speed.  I had managed to maneuver myself five guys back and knew I'd made a mistake.  It was now a free for all and one guy and George were distancing the rest of us.  I upped the cadence, dropped down a gear, and immediately passed the four guys and saw the other two coming back to me.  It felt like I was around 130 rpm but the computer says only 114.  I needed another ten yards, losing silver by 12/100ths of a second.

But that's not the end of the story.  The race computer didn't record my time at all.  I didn't know this until about a half hour later when I inquired at the awards area.  I had to go back to the finish line to register my complaint (because there was no race director).  As it turned out, there were a handful of people in front of me.  I don't know the whole story, but after about an hour of waiting, I went back to the car, Marilane gave me a 3x5 card and I wrote out my complaint and cycled back to the computer truck.  Once again, they announced they would get things straight and make the awards the next day, or mail the medals to those (me) who wouldn't be racing the 40k road race.  To their credit, they also had a camera at the finish, and that is how I know how close I came.  Durward, by the way, finished 4:15 ahead of me.

Three bronze at Nationals is not too shabby.  Fort Lauderdale gets a D- in organization.  Next up is USA Cycling Nationals in Albuquerque.  I'm thinking seriously about going, even though I really don't like altitude.  Next year Senior Games Nationals is in Pittsburg.  

WHY I CYCLE ON GREAT NORTHERN

 I just received notice from Strava that I lost my Local Legend on one of the segments at Great Northern.  I lose this segment on a regular basis, as me and someone else have the same regimen.  Truthfully, I care not a whit about being a Local Legend.  So, the short answer as to why I'm riding up and down this stretch is quite simple: I'M OLD!!    

Of course, there is more to the story.  But the truth is, the older you get the less you like change.  Let's start with Great Northern itself, for those not familiar with it.  This is a 1.3 mile straight, flatish street with a dual bike lane and no cross streets/stop signs.  During the day, when I ride, there isn't much traffic and what traffic there is is accustomed to cyclists, runners, and dog-walkers.  I can do my various drills in relative solitude, staying mostly in my lane and dodging walkers.  It runs north-south and is next to a railroad track (hence the name) and is maybe twenty or so feet below the tracks.  As a result, between the houses and the track, the street is somewhat protected from the wind.  My other practice spot is Old Settlers Park in Round Rock, where I can do my "jumps" practice and acceleration drills.  I'm not spending a lot of time at Old Settlers currently because of the wind.  Unlike Great Northern, Old Settlers is on a hill and always has more wind than in Austin.  Hopefully I'll spend more time there in April.

The length of Great Northern lends itself to my cadence drills and acceleration drills.  One cadence drill calls for three sets of five minutes each at 90, 100, 110 rpm.  It takes not quite five minutes to go end-to-end so whatever it takes is what I do.  This drill doesn't require a specific watts output.  Another drill is a cadence ladder: 3 sets of 10 reps 30 seconds each at 90,100,110 and 30 seconds rest.  I might have to fudge a bit when I turn around at each end.  I also do acceleration drills.  I accelerate for a set time, like 15 or 30 seconds at a set wattage.  There is one other drill I do here that I can't do at Old Settlers.  It is a "white line" drill.  I do this when warming up or cooling down or anytime I'm not doing another drill.  It consists of seeing how long I can ride on the white line separating the bike lane from the driving lane.  This drill helps with balance and smoothing your cadence.  Of course, I still have to dodge walkers and I move over for cars.

Another reason I go back and forth on Great Northern is that I hate riding on Shoal Creek.  Most of the "regulars" I see do the loop.  I did too, until the city installed a "protected" bike lane.  Back to my original reason: this street fits my needs quite well and I see no reason to search out some other place.  But even as I type the last sentence, I'm reminded that I announced last Sunday that I need to change my 50 mile Sunday route.  Chandler Road out to Taylor has become too busy.  I love the smooth asphalt, the few inclines, no stopping.  But the traffic is fast and too many drivers are getting too close.  This was the road I'd use for my 20-minute FTP test.  So yes, I can still change.  

DESTINY!

Somethings are meant to be.  And some are not.  Today was one of those days where my desire was continually thwarted.   The original plan had me riding in the kitchen; so planned because of the weather forecast of cold north wind and scattered showers.  First, I slept in.  For those who are not regular readers, my usual waking hour is between 3:30 and 4:00.  This morning I dragged my body out of bed at 5:00.  My usual routine when not going to the gym takes between 60 and 90 minutes and includes coffee and a few word games to exercise my mind.  

Time slipped away and before I knew it, a crew arrived to take out our dead and unwanted bushes.  This landscape has been in the ground for almost 40 years and I wanted no part in having to get them out.  They were still hard at it when I left to get my hair cut.  The appointment was at 11:00 and I was home by noon.  Then came lunch.  I wasn't feeling all that energetic so delayed setting up the bike in the kitchen.  Instead, I reclined in my recliner and relaxed.  That morphed into a nap.  I came to refreshed but really not feeling like riding the trainer.  We have the display for the outside thermometer set up in the computer room and upon passing by on my way down the hall I noticed the temperature was 50 degrees.  Hmmm!

I went outside and found that the sharp north wind had abated and the sun looked like it wanted to come out.  Eureka!  I could get in an hour at Old Settlers Park.  Immediately I went inside and changed into bike gear, filled a water bottle and jumped in the car.  The bike and gear live in the car so I didn't have to load anything.  Off I went.

The new plan was to do my "oval" workout.  This is a steady one hour in a parking lot doing an oval about 333 meters per lap, similar to the size of the Alkek Velodrome.  I parked and prepared to unhook the bike from the rack.  Then I noticed I'd forgotten the computer.  We all know that if it isn't on Strava it never happened.  After a momentary pause and expletive, I realized I had my phone and could run Strava on that.  I wouldn't have cadence or power but for this ride I knew what gear to use and really didn't need the stats.  So I went to the front seat, got my phone and returned to grab the bike.

My rack is inside the car and the front fork is mounted.  When I grabbed the front wheel preparatory to releasing the bike, I uttered my second expletive, maybe a third.  The tire was flat!  I took this as a sign that maybe today wasn't meant to be, returned to the front seat and drove home.

Back home I used my "ride time" changing out the tube.  Several years ago (Sept 25, 2010) I posted detailed instructions on how to properly change a tube .  First you check the old tube to detect the location of the leak and if found, check the similar location on the tire to be sure the cause still isn't in it.  The stupid tube didn't have a leak.  I plunged it under water and got zero bubbles.  I triple-checked the tire inside and out.  All was well.  I still installed a new tube.  As of this writing, five hours later, the tube still hasn't lost any air.  We shall see what it looks like in the morning.  And speaking of morning, it looks like I will have two days of decent weather to ride outside.

BLOOD PRESSURE

 It comes as no surprise that my blood pressure is lower than most folks my age.  Periodically, news feeds post some article touting the benefits of exercise, and lower blood pressure is one of those benefits.  Since I've been exercising all my adult life, I fully expect my BP to be low.  That being said, a lot of it is due to genetics.  For instance, my wife has a much lower BP than I do and has had all her life, exercising or not.

Like most of you, after I finish a long or arduous ride I'll get cleaned up, eat something, then rest, usually in my recliner.  But after sitting awhile, when I get up I need to wait a few seconds to let my BP adjust.  Otherwise I get shaky (not dizzy).  In the past if I ignored this warning, I've had my knees buckle.  This has been going on for years and I'm used to it.

Lots of jokes have been made about old guys having nothing to talk about except their health, or lack thereof.  I must admit, health takes up much of my thoughts as I get older.  To that end, early in the pandemic, we purchased a dosimeter.  This was to check our blood oxygen level to make sure Covid didn't sneak up on us.  After copious use, I found that my normal level was borderline low, both before and after riding.  Occasionally it would register a 98 but mostly 94-96 (my wife is a consistent 98).  I'm wondering if that is part of the reason I don't do better when racing.  More on that in a later post.  Recently we acquired a high-end BP monitor.  I get my BP checked a lot.  The dentist, the ophthalmologist, the physical therapist, and various other doctors all start by checking it.  Most of the time it registers close to 120/70.  The last visit to the dentist had me at 168/80, which tells me my body doesn't like the dentist even if my brain does.  A similar reading at the urologist.  Yes, old folks have lots of physicians.

Most, if not all, of my doctor visits come before cycling.  Since we have this new toy, I'm able to take a reading after riding.  The first time it wasn't on purpose.  I did my ride, clean up etc.  A few hours later I came to the computer (the BP monitor is set up on the desk) and decided to check.  I felt fine, hadn't had to wait when I got up from the recliner.  When I saw the result, I figured the monitor had malfunctioned.  But I just moved on to whatever I wanted to look up on the computer.  The next day I checked in the morning and had a 113/79, which solidified my thought the previous reading was a malfunction.  Several days later I checked after cycling and registered 81/57.  That got my attention and my curiosity.  Over the next week I registered 121/69, 119/72, 95/69, and 83/54.  Yes, the low ones were after cycling.  For the record, we've had the BP monitor for a couple of months and mostly it just sits there.  It was only after the low readings did I check it daily for a week.

After my last one of 86/61 I decided to message my cardiologist to ask if I should come in early (I go annually anyhow).  But then, I just Googled "low BP and exercise" and went to a respected site to read what they had to say.  I was assured that a lower BP after exercise is normal and to be expected.  Nothing I read gave any real numbers.  So, while I'm not too concerned, I'll be quizzing my cardiologist if a 30 point drop is acceptable.  In the meantime, I'll assume it is and carry on my training as planned.

Those reading this post all exercise, but maybe they know folks who don't and need a little push to get started.  Lowering their BP might be just the shove they need.

CYCLING IN THE WIND

If I didn't need the mileage, I'd have stayed home.  But I do, and cycling on the trainer in the kitchen wasn't going to be sufficient.  At least it wasn't cold.  Today's was a zone 2, put in a couple hours sort of ride.  My schedule calls for two per week but in looking at the weather forecast, that might be a problem.  The other days are specific training: cadence, jumps or accelerations, power.

My go-to, thirty mile,  two-plus hour ride has me leaving from home, through the neighborhoods to the Brushy Creek Regional Trail which ends by Kalahari Resorts.  Then through Old Settlers Park and more neighborhoods until I reach Chandler Road.  It is an out-and-back route.  For longer rides I can then go east to Taylor or north to Walburg.  

When I left the house the wind came mostly from the south, with maybe a little SE direction.  Most of the first part headed east so I had the wind coming from the side.  I was happy for the Brushy Creek section, in that it protected me from most of the wind and is a nice, scenic, concrete trail.  Being concrete, it is a tad bumpy but I've gotten used to it.  

Most of getting through Old Settlers was north, so I had the wind at my back.  Likewise Red Bud Trail.  Then the road turned east at Limmer Loop.  County Rd 108 and 119 were also north.  The upshot was that I cruised most of the outbound with the wind at my back.  Then I turned around.

First I dropped to the small chain ring, then went up a few cogs.  It wasn't like it came as a surprise.  I anticipated an hour going out and an hour and fifteen minutes coming back.  As it turned out, I was only off by a few minutes.  Coming back against the wind didn't seem as tough and I didn't feel like I'd been through the wringer.  Maybe I'm finally getting a bit of form.  

I HATE PACE BEND

 Don't get me wrong, Pace Bend is a nice place to ride.  But I don't just ride there, I race there.  In terms of placing, I do alright.  But this is a difficult course and an ego-busting one for me.  Yesterday was no different.  I suppose I should be grateful that the three races exposed glaring deficiencies in my training.  And in that regard, I am.  I've been exposed to this venue for fifteen years and have never performed well.

The format for the Senior Games State Finals is 40k Road Race at 9:00am; 20k Road Race at 10:45am; 10k Time Trial at 12:15pm; 5k Time Trial immediately following.  Back several years ago this was a two-day event in San Antonio, with 5k and 40k one day and 10k and 20k the next.  It was also in late March or early April.  I would sign up for all four races.  In any case, this was a qualifying for next year's Nationals, taking place in Pittsburg.  You only have to place in one of the road races and one of the time trials.  Last year I only did the 20k and 5k.  The current format guarantees your legs to be toast for the time trials.

This year I've moved up to the 80-84 category and as far as I know, the only racer in my age group that is faster is Bob C.  There is one other fast guy from Dallas but his participation in Senior Games is spotty.  This year there were five of us in the age group signed up.  I only knew Bob, but recognized the other names and their past results indicated I could beat them.  Bob would beat me in the road race and probably the 10k time trial.  But as it turned out, Bob didn't make it down to race.  So, on to the day itself.

The forecast was for 41 degrees with a north breeze for the 40k road race.  I arrived shortly before the start and checked in.  It was here that I learned that Bob wasn't coming.  After cheering the start of the race, I retired to my car to prep the bike (attach timing chip) and assemble shoes, helmet etc. in the front seat.  Then I waited, occasionally starting the car to warm up.  At 9:45 I started getting ready, attached the heart rate monitor, put on shoes, helmet, made sure I had a water bottle on the bike and left the warm environs of the car to warm up on the road.  My warm-up at Pace Bend generally is doing one loop of the course to re-familiarize myself with the hills, then do a half-dozen accelerations to let the legs know what they're in for shortly.  I was in full winter gear: wool socks, tights, three layers on my chest, including jacket.  My intention was to shed jacket for the race and substitute my wind jacket.  After warming up, I just kept the jacket on.  I knew I was in trouble when I saw it took 27:09 to navigate the 6.2 miles.  Last year it was 24:16.  Then I learned the race would start at 10:45.  I thought I read that 10:45 would be the staging time for an 11:00 start.  My planned accelerations disappeared.

Another thing I don't like about this format is that all the racers start together.  We are loosely grouped by age, with the young ones in front.  For the 20k the ladies joined the guys, for the 40k they were asked to start behind the guys.  Even though Bob wasn't here, I saw no reason to take chances, so I integrated myself with the 60-70 ages.  The plan was to leave the old guys behind in the first couple of miles and in that regard, it worked.  We started off fast and it took no time for a pace line to form.  I managed to find a rather large back to follow.  We struggled up the first incline and there was a break in the pace line.  At the second hill things really got separated.  My quads gave me a signal that they weren't happy and not working well.  This was only about a mile into the race.  My large back had gapped me but at the second hill he slowed considerably and I caught back up.  At 1.8 miles the course takes a sharp right turn and enters the beginning of eight hills of varying difficulty.  This year it was also into the ever freshening wind.  I was determined to find my large back (his name is Tom) to hide behind.  It took a bit after the turn, but I was faster going up and caught him.  About half-way up I passed him and slowed a bit to pace him up the hill.  He passed me going down and I tagged on to his wheel.  This started a routine and easily had me going faster than I could go on my own.

After the first of two laps, I occasionally checked my mirror and noticed a yellow jacket in the distance.  I knew that one of the other old guys had a yellow jacket on.  Tom had some real difficulty on the second hill and I left him gasping for air.  I didn't relish the idea of eight hills into the wind, and I must have really been slowed because he caught up with me.  I paced him while he recovered.  On the fourth hill, yellow jacket caught us and passed.  I tacked on to his wheel and Tom on mine.  The last hill is the toughest, with ramps of 12 and 15%.  On the downhill just before, Tom took the lead with me on his wheel, yellow jacket behind.  He must of used all of his energy catching us, because half way up the hill, when I took over from Tom, he couldn't follow.  It was like he hit a brick wall.  I know the feeling.

I was leading Tom down and thought that at 27 mph, I would lead him into the turn.  Nah, he'd recovered and passed me.  So we took the turn at a good clip (20 mph) and into the downhill with the wind at our back.  He paced me at just over 30 mph for about a half mile before we leveled off.  Tom kept checking to see if I still had his wheel, moderating to make sure I did.  I think he was offended that yellow jacket had passed us and he was making sure he didn't catch back up.  A peek in the mirror confirmed that he was nowhere in sight.  In any case, at the 200 meter to go sign, I let up and gave Tom a clear finish.  As it turned out, yellow jacket was not the one in my age group, so maybe he was in Tom's.  My legs were shot.  Here is the sad story: my time of 46:26, with help, was slower than the 41:31 from last year when I was mostly on my own.  That's a huge difference.

I had forty-five minutes before the time trial.  This would be one lap, in the opposite direction.  I'd originally considered doing the 10k on my road bike because of the hills.  But the wind would be in my face on the lesser inclines and at my back on the hills so I switched my timing clip to the TT bike and prepared for the next race.  Preparation consisted of getting down in the aero position for a few minutes.

The starter announced that shortly we would be lining up for the race.  I looked around and saw that the riders had already lined up.  Bah!  We had a good ten minutes so I did some more aero work, then came up to my friend, Clif, who was second in line.  I've posted about Clif before.  He is a world class racer and former US time trial champion in his age group.  We catch up at Senior Games.  I lamented I'd have to get to the back of the line and both he and the guy behind invited me to jump in ahead of Clif.  I jumped at the chance and mentioned that my time in front of him would be short lived, even with a 30 second headstart.  It took him less than a mile.  

Interesting enough, the first racer didn't make it very far before something happened.  A couple hundred yards down the road he was messing with his chain on the side as I passed.  I suspect he'd started in the small chain ring and the chain jumped when he went to move up.  I say that, because that is what happened to me in my early days of racing.  I start in the big ring, even if I have to go high on the cogs.  Anyhow, as I suffered up the first incline I contemplated how many riders would be passing me.  I made the turn and got the wind at my back, although still going uphill.  I was in the small chain ring and high on the cogs but confident I'd made the right choice.  I kept waiting to get passed, keeping to the right rather than taking the middle of the lane.  Eventually the second guy passed me.  I spent more time in the aero position than I thought I would and I guess it paid off because I reached the last turn without anyone else passing.  The hill after the turn was a challenge and two guys passed me.  But my experience got me through the last two inclines, in that a correct choice of gears and cadence got me up them faster than what it looks like you can do.  The finish is a slight downhill, giving me an opportunity to rev up the cadence and look like a racer.

In order to give my legs as much rest as possible, I chose the last position in the 5k.  Well, I thought I'd be last, but one of the old, slow guys waved me in front of him.  As it turned out, I was third from the end.  The 5k was an out-and-back.  Wind in your face going out, at your back coming in.  I had no power going out.  I knew I should be going faster, just couldn't muster the strength.  On the way back, I did much better.  I probably could have been a few seconds quicker, but lost track of the finish line, thinking I had one more curve before ramping up the cadence.  

My finish time was a minute and a half slower than last year.  But last year I only did the 20k and 5k, and had better legs.  It really is a tale of stats.  Last year in the 20k my 20 minute power average was 181.  This year it was 154.  In difference in 5k's, last year I had 174 in Dallas (it was the first race) and this year 149.  I figure I'm going to need at least 180 at Nationals and would like to hit 200.  I have eight weeks to get there.  BTW, my heart rate was just where it should have been, holding at 143.

WHAT AM I DOING NOW?

 What I'm doing now is not much of anything.  I follow my friends in the UK, The Cycling Granddads, and they do a lot of local touring and an occasional epic ride.  Their itinerary usually includes a lunch/snack/coffee stop at the halfway mark and they always take pictures of their ride.  Most of my rides are solitary with the only snack stop on the side of the road with a Clif Bar.  I don't usually stop to take a picture.  But I'm slightly envious of their rides, so I'm going to try to include a picture or two of my environment.  The downside is many of my rides are the same route.  All the same, they are long rides so the pictures won't be the same landscape.

Before the weather turned nasty I did my usual route to Weir, although it was Almost Weir.  In any case, the low-water crossing afforded the first of my pictures.  

The shot is from my Fly-6 rear light and camera.  I carry my I-phone so I can take a picture with it should the occasion arise.