Man, it has been months since I posted anything here! Not because nothing is going on, but because I've either been too busy, or I feel I've already posted enough about "it" before (whatever "it" may be). Mostly I have been working, sleeping, eating, training... and racing on the velodrome at Hellyer Park in San Jose.
My training has hardly changed in several years: Most weeks I ride 170 to 220 miles, with about 160 minutes in "Level 4" (aerobic threshold) intervals of about 20 minutes each, and 30 minutes in "Level 5" (anaerobic threshold) intervals of about 5 minutes each. Plus assorted miles of mixed riding, racing on the track and commuting.
Track racing is pretty cool. Before I committed to really racing on the banked oval-track, I thought it would be rather dull since the endless laps around the same track would all look the same after a while. And while there may be some truth to that (there's something undeniably epic about long, hilly road-races) the fact is that each race is unique, of course. Different people, different race formats, different weather all combine to make variety.
And it's hard to argue with success: I have been doing pretty well on the track! Not crushing the competition, but definitely one of the top riders in my category.
I've been racing mostly in the Tuesday Night Races; about 15 nights so far. I can leave work about 5:00 and be at the track in plenty of time to register, warm up and the race start at 7:00. I won an Omnium, and placed in several others, also winning quite a few heats, points sprints etc.
I am still a Category 4 on the track (I'm Cat 3 on the road), but I now have enough points to upgrade to Cat 3 if I want to. Do I want to? Hmmm... Earlier this season I raced the "Get Ready for Summer" series, in a combined Cat 3/4 Omnium, with four different heats for us:
I've also been racing on the road, though nothing too exciting. Check my USAC results.
Next up for me:
Wish me luck!
My training has hardly changed in several years: Most weeks I ride 170 to 220 miles, with about 160 minutes in "Level 4" (aerobic threshold) intervals of about 20 minutes each, and 30 minutes in "Level 5" (anaerobic threshold) intervals of about 5 minutes each. Plus assorted miles of mixed riding, racing on the track and commuting.
Track racing is pretty cool. Before I committed to really racing on the banked oval-track, I thought it would be rather dull since the endless laps around the same track would all look the same after a while. And while there may be some truth to that (there's something undeniably epic about long, hilly road-races) the fact is that each race is unique, of course. Different people, different race formats, different weather all combine to make variety.
And it's hard to argue with success: I have been doing pretty well on the track! Not crushing the competition, but definitely one of the top riders in my category.
I've been racing mostly in the Tuesday Night Races; about 15 nights so far. I can leave work about 5:00 and be at the track in plenty of time to register, warm up and the race start at 7:00. I won an Omnium, and placed in several others, also winning quite a few heats, points sprints etc.
I am still a Category 4 on the track (I'm Cat 3 on the road), but I now have enough points to upgrade to Cat 3 if I want to. Do I want to? Hmmm... Earlier this season I raced the "Get Ready for Summer" series, in a combined Cat 3/4 Omnium, with four different heats for us:
- Kierin race
- Scratch race
- Miss-and-out race
- Points race
I've also been racing on the road, though nothing too exciting. Check my USAC results.
Next up for me:
- NCNCA Masters State Criterium Championships, on Sunday, August 21st.
- Match sprints at Hellyer, August 27th.
- Maybe the Bike MS: Waves to Wine Ride 2011 with the HP team, September 17th and 18th.
- Great Lake Tahoe Bike Race, with the Symantec team, on Saturday, September 24th.
Wish me luck!
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