I'M GLAD MY RR2 TODAY WENT SOUTH TODAY, BECAUSE ....
.... my stock of bad luck might have been depleted??? and I learned a lot in the process!!!
Net net the numbers are definitely not bad with a 4h57 for 172k (it would have been around 5h05 had I completed the 180 .... but I will explain below ....), and the 10k run targeting 140bpm was not bad (despite the unexpected uphill elevation .... which I will also explain below ....).
The plan was:
Go out in full racing setup (except for disk) and execute with discipline, bike being @ 70% FTP and run 140bpm flat. Nutrition as in race day 100% (which implied some minor adjustments versus RR1, taking into account the recommendations received via "critique my RR1").
Out we go ..... and all is feeling great when I hit truck debris on K22 and flat goes my front wheel (ZIPP 404, tubular) ..... great opportunity to test my pit-stop .... except for the fact that the tyre has not simply gone flat but it has been badly damaged!!! No problem .... Juan has thought of everything and his race set up includes an extra tyre nicely hidden behind the saddle!!!!! So let's just change tyres .... right???? Hello Juan, have you ever actually had to take off a perfectly glued Victtoria from a ZIPP???? Surprise surprise ... tough business that might require some experience and maybe a tool which you forgot to leave in your bento bag when doing the "perfect nutrition setup" ..... no problem, Juan is riding with a friend that has such tool but the first note is made for race day: "do not forget the darn tool!!!!" (Lesson 1). Wait a minute, together with the tool, the valve extender was also left behind therefore we have a useless tyre and a need for my friend to ride (alone) all the way back to the car to bring "the valve extender" (at the moderate cost of 1h10' sitting alone on the side of the freeway waiting for my very kind friend to complete the loop and back). He finally makes it back and very quickly I am back in business!!!! and lesson #2 for race day: "please do not forget the valve extender" .... all is feeling great again and to compensate for the unsolicited rest I pgo out a bit harder at 75% FTP.
Feeling good and strong at 73-75% ... smooth .... until K90 when my rear goes flat!!!! My lucky day!!!! Would have been a great opportunity to truly test the pit-stop which I have previously misused on a torn tyre and OBVIOUSLY I did not bring my "special needs extra pit stop" (lesson 3), No problem, I have grabbed an extra tyre from the trunk (it's old but it's extra) and on it goes .... but ..... we still need a valve extender (in use on the front tyre now - lesson 4 - bring one for every tyre ) ..... well, the front is already up an running so I unscrew the extender from the front, screw it on the "old tyre" and quickly find out that the "old" valve is damaged!!!!! (Lesson 5 - no old tyres!!!) ..... but I still have my good friend, who - despite not being a triathlete but a cyclist - has trained with me for this IM, wants to see me compete my RR2 and offers his rear wheel and he will figure out a way to get back. I accept, go back to work - still at 173-175% - .... my friend makes it back to the car and by K160 he is right behind me, driving my car ..... perfect timing as my front wheel goes flat at K172!!!! Time to call it a bike day!!!! Drop my bike, tennis shoes on and off I go for my 6 mile run in pursue of 140bpm flat.
Two minor problems:
1) I'm on the "wrong side of freeway" and rather than a basically flat run it's basically an uphill run.
2) will I feel the extra 3 to 5% of FTP ???
The elevation I certainly felt .... which makes it difficult to evaluate the effect of the "extra watts" (will probably be "conservative" on race day and stay closer to 70%.
Well RnP, you always say "the more problems you encounter on your RR the better" !!!!
I certainly did my part today and many lessons will be reflected in my final Race Plan (to be published soon for open critique).
Tapper has officially began now ... IMLC here I go!!!
Net net the numbers are definitely not bad with a 4h57 for 172k (it would have been around 5h05 had I completed the 180 .... but I will explain below ....), and the 10k run targeting 140bpm was not bad (despite the unexpected uphill elevation .... which I will also explain below ....).
The plan was:
Go out in full racing setup (except for disk) and execute with discipline, bike being @ 70% FTP and run 140bpm flat. Nutrition as in race day 100% (which implied some minor adjustments versus RR1, taking into account the recommendations received via "critique my RR1").
Out we go ..... and all is feeling great when I hit truck debris on K22 and flat goes my front wheel (ZIPP 404, tubular) ..... great opportunity to test my pit-stop .... except for the fact that the tyre has not simply gone flat but it has been badly damaged!!! No problem .... Juan has thought of everything and his race set up includes an extra tyre nicely hidden behind the saddle!!!!! So let's just change tyres .... right???? Hello Juan, have you ever actually had to take off a perfectly glued Victtoria from a ZIPP???? Surprise surprise ... tough business that might require some experience and maybe a tool which you forgot to leave in your bento bag when doing the "perfect nutrition setup" ..... no problem, Juan is riding with a friend that has such tool but the first note is made for race day: "do not forget the darn tool!!!!" (Lesson 1). Wait a minute, together with the tool, the valve extender was also left behind therefore we have a useless tyre and a need for my friend to ride (alone) all the way back to the car to bring "the valve extender" (at the moderate cost of 1h10' sitting alone on the side of the freeway waiting for my very kind friend to complete the loop and back). He finally makes it back and very quickly I am back in business!!!! and lesson #2 for race day: "please do not forget the valve extender" .... all is feeling great again and to compensate for the unsolicited rest I pgo out a bit harder at 75% FTP.
Feeling good and strong at 73-75% ... smooth .... until K90 when my rear goes flat!!!! My lucky day!!!! Would have been a great opportunity to truly test the pit-stop which I have previously misused on a torn tyre and OBVIOUSLY I did not bring my "special needs extra pit stop" (lesson 3), No problem, I have grabbed an extra tyre from the trunk (it's old but it's extra) and on it goes .... but ..... we still need a valve extender (in use on the front tyre now - lesson 4 - bring one for every tyre ) ..... well, the front is already up an running so I unscrew the extender from the front, screw it on the "old tyre" and quickly find out that the "old" valve is damaged!!!!! (Lesson 5 - no old tyres!!!) ..... but I still have my good friend, who - despite not being a triathlete but a cyclist - has trained with me for this IM, wants to see me compete my RR2 and offers his rear wheel and he will figure out a way to get back. I accept, go back to work - still at 173-175% - .... my friend makes it back to the car and by K160 he is right behind me, driving my car ..... perfect timing as my front wheel goes flat at K172!!!! Time to call it a bike day!!!! Drop my bike, tennis shoes on and off I go for my 6 mile run in pursue of 140bpm flat.
Two minor problems:
1) I'm on the "wrong side of freeway" and rather than a basically flat run it's basically an uphill run.
2) will I feel the extra 3 to 5% of FTP ???
The elevation I certainly felt .... which makes it difficult to evaluate the effect of the "extra watts" (will probably be "conservative" on race day and stay closer to 70%.
Well RnP, you always say "the more problems you encounter on your RR the better" !!!!
I certainly did my part today and many lessons will be reflected in my final Race Plan (to be published soon for open critique).
Tapper has officially began now ... IMLC here I go!!!
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Comments
Well, huh … you need a cleaner place to ride. Hopefully, the roads in Baja will be less dangerous to rubber.
Anyway, concerning the run … the idea of using HR is to "flatten" out hills as well as account for higher temps. Just like maintaining constant watts whether going up hill into the wind, or on the flats, and allowing your speed to vary as it will, so too keeping a constant HR, despite going up or down, and no matter the temp, is the trick on race day. I think you're getting the idea.
Really, I never heard of tubulars being such a problem flatting. At least you now know what you'll need to be carrying with you on race day, and will feel more secure, I hope.