Lake to Lake

This weekend is the Lake to Lake. My second race of the season.

The race is a point to point over 50km. The course isnt very inspiring, and the arguably caustic mud will likely mean that ill need a new drivetrain after. Why am I doing it? I dunno.

Last year I finished 12th, a reasonable result. This year my goal is to crack the top 20.

The course is flat, with a few little hills here and there, and one significant hill at the end that can make or break a race. Last year I fell from 10th to 12th due to that hill.

Overall I would define the course as a threshold course as opposed to a course that requires well developed VO2 max power. This works in my favor.

I know the course a little better this time around, although I dont feel this to be much of an advantage. Theres only so much to know about a long stretch of gravel path.

Im treating this race as a good workout. Albion revealed where my fitness is relative to last year, and I dont expect to be competitive.

The plan out of the gate is to latch on to the lead pack and hang for as long as I can. Hydrate well, eat well, get some caffeine in me for the second half and see what happens.

In other news, my VO2 max workouts have been coming along nicely. Two intense workouts this week made me realize how much work I actually need to do.

Tuesday I did 60 hill climbs on 'Moe Hill' a steep grassy hill that takes about 20 seconds to climb. I usually do them in sets of 10 with the intent to get my HR as high as possible.

Thursday I was busy prepping for some DJ stuff, but managed to squeeze in a quick Hill Climb workout on Gordon Hill. 15 climbs, at 1minute duration. I havent looked at the powertap data, but Id estimate I was averaging about 500 watts per climb, a little lower than last year. Again the intent was to get my body used to the high intensity.

So the key right now is to be diligent with these workouts, and realize it will take some time to get back to where I was. The mentality of 'not skipping workouts' has been reinstated.

A big obstacle will be weight.. while im quite a bit heavier than last year, its mostly muscle weight. In the past ive always tried to decrease the 'weight' part of the Power:Weight ratio. This year im going to focus on the power side, just to try something different. The skinny skeletal structure of an elite cyclist is no longer my goal. Im far more adamant to maintain my new chin up record of 11. :p