First Weekend of Cat 3 Racing

This was the most brutal weekend of racing that I’ve ever had and I got my ass kicked…….hard. I guess I should have anticipated the big guns showing up since it was the State Championship Road Race.

On the plus side, I’ve discovered two key weaknesses in my ability and am currently working those out with my coach. My two weaknesses are

1) Recovery between hard efforts
2) Short, steep climbs (less than 1min)

I’m planning on removing a few of my time trial preparation days in hopes of getting a few sessions in to work on these two issues before Steam Boat Springs Stage Race.

Sorry the posts have been incredibly short the last few weeks, but life is crazy and I’m spending all my time on the bike!!

Power Records (Pre: 8/14/10)
5min: 301
20min: 264
FTP: 250

Power Records (8/14/10)
5min: 315 +4.5%
20min: 267 +1.2%
FTP: 254 +1.5%

Preparing for Battle

The last couple of weeks my coach has taken no mercy on me.  Ever since I received my upgrade to Cat 3, he’s taken that as a sign that he should run my body into the ground!  My rides have almost entirely consisted of climbing the various mountains and canyons in the greater boulder area, which I can tell you is brutal.

Despite the torture that my coach has managed to create, I can say that I feel stronger than ever and ready to tackle a big weekend of racing starting with the BRC criterium on Saturday, which leads to the Colorado road race championship on Sunday in Colorado Springs.

I’ll report back after the racing, but I can sense good things coming!