The weeks after masters nationals

It’s been a couple of weeks after nationals now and have only done a couple of races since then.  Road race (Ontario Masters Association Club) last weekend and time trial (Hamilton Cycling club) today both were club events.  Been ramping back up the training for the coming races in the next few weeks.  Provincial road next weekend, an OMAC time trial, Terra Cotta the following weekend and then the Tour of Catskills starting in the first week in August.  These days I’ve started doing some hill repeats on our local hill to get ready for some of these races fun times.

So a little recap on Nationals. 

The time trial was on the Thursday, the crit on the Friday and then the road race on the Sunday.  Hamilton Cycling Club is the club I race for and they asked me to do race reports and give them some pictures from all of the races for their webpage.  So here is the link to that:

http://hamiltoncycling.com/?p=2371#more-2371

A couple of days after nationals it kind of felt surreal.  It was like Christmas time when I was a kid you know that feeling like wow it’s all only a certain number of days away and then it comes goes and you have to wait til next year to do it all over again.  At least next year I will probably just do 2 of the 3 races at nationals but you never I may change my mind again lol.  I am thinking I’ll probably just do the time trial of course and the road race next year.


Til after the next race.

Shell 

19 more days til the start of Masters Nationals

I was looking on the Ontario Cycling Association website last week and the tech guide was up for nationals..wow…Instant nerves…Interesting…I’ve now done the time trial course on three different weekends.  Twice with marshals and the other time for more practice on certain sections that I thought were going to be problem areas.  Of course I’ve had all different kinds of weather for the three times that I have been on the course.  First time it was cold and with not much warm up to do the 2 laps of the course.  Next time on the course it was a practice session and fog and drizzle was on tap for this time. Almost a 100k on the course, 2 full laps of the course, and then shorter laps to go over some problem areas.  The most recent time was the second time with marshals and police at the corners and cross streets.  This time a storm rolled in just as I was supposed to start.  I was the first rider off for the day at 9am.  They had the full set up for the race start house ramp and everything.  Was not nervous coming off of the start ramp cause I have done it before and I find it quite fun coming of a ramp to start the race instead of just a hold.  Well even before the race had started we had almost a full-blown storm happening.  Thunder, lightening and rain for all the laps.  It got dark enough for the street lights come on.  It was a wild time on the bike.  Rain so hard that I couldn’t see.  Lightening so close that I was seeing little sparks of light next to me.  Even with all of this kind of weather I had renewed faith in myself going into the corners that I really wasn’t slowing down that much going in and out of them.  I was able to get around the course for 2 laps and reduce my time again on the course, which I was extremely happy about.  Let’s hope the weather is much nicer day of the big race. Please oh please.

Next  race K-W classic.


til next time.


Shell

Prerace of Masters Nationals time trial course

This weekend was all about testing my legs out on the masters nationals time trial course.   

When I do this race in July I will only be doing one pass at the course so 21.66k not the two passes that I did this weekend.  All I have to say is wow.  Tough course.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from the course.  I know it’s nationals and they can’t just give us a simple out and back course.  I understand that.  All of the time trials that I have done to date is an out and back type except for the one time trial I did in Georgia.  The Georgia time trial had 2 turnarounds and a hard right hand corner into the finish line.  This course for nationals has 5 right turns, a left hand turn, 9k of rollers and almost right out the gate you have a roller that has a part at an 7% ave grade.  It hits you like a sack of bricks.  Or at least that is what it felt like to me.  The not knowing the course was killing me.  The second time around the course was good and knowing what was coming up was good.  Knowing the corners was insane almost not having to brake going around them was great.  Some practice is needed going through the front half of the course especially through the rollers. Oh my gosh.   

Time will tell for me, on this course for me.