Hot, Humid and Fastest Time.........

Hello Cycling Fans:

Thanks for your feedback on the new blog page. I admit, I'm having fun creating and designing the page.

Orlando Time Trial #7

It was Tuesday, July 27th, but it felt more like our typical mid-August summer afternoon - very hot.
The year has really flown by. Tuesday night was the 7th race of the Orlando Airport Time Trial Series.
This series of races will end in October.

I packed up the SUV and the entire family (Geri and the kids, even Grandma came along).
Once we arrived it quickly became apparent that they were more interested in the planes landing and taxiing in versus the race venue. However, no offense taken as it's very cool to see all the planes up close! In fact, on our way out to race I was explaining that it took a bit of time getting used to having the jets fly over you as you were warming up and racing. It feels like the earth is shaking all around you.

I was feeling pretty good and strong enough to challenge the 14 mile time trial even with the heat.
I could have opted for only 7 miles, but I wanted to work on my pacing strategy for longer TT distances.
I usually bring lots of extra equipment to the races. For example, I have (2) Time Trial type helmets (known as our "lids"). You know, the ones that look pointy and kind of funny looking. One of my lids is more aerodynamic because there are essentially no vents for air to flow through. The downside to that lid is that it can get quite hot. In any endurance event, when body temp rises you lose power or strength and that is a fact. So, I'm very glad that I brought both lids cause I went with a vented approach that allowed for lots of air flow.

I was off quickly and got up to race pace which is ~ 25 mph.
It wasn't too windy, mainly some crosswinds.
I went out a little too hard cause I was feeling it by mile 9 and had to slow it down which bummed me out a bit.
I completed the 14 miles in 34 minutes and 14 seconds at an average speed of 24.5 mph.
Not my best time or speed for this distance, but most of the racers were a bit off their times too.
I did manage to get the fastest time. Even my 7 mile split time was faster than those that did just the 7 mile TT.
So, got to be happy with my result!

Have a great weekend and thanks again for your continued support!

Adam

Gwinnett Time Trial - Adventures with the "BIRDMAN"

Cycling Fans

Welcome to my new Race Blog. My business partner and close friend Patrick Buchanan (AKA "The Red Hornet") put this blog page together for me! Thanks Bro!

Moving forward I'll post my race experiences and other cycling narratives to this blog page versus sending out batch emails. So here it goes, my first post.

Gwinnett TT
Geri (my beautiful wife) and I packed the SUV early Friday morning, dropped off the kids at Grandma's house and headed north to Atlanta, GA. A buddy of mine from elementary school (Eric "the BIRDMAN" Rasmussen) and his family (his better half Stacey and his little girl Bella) live just outside Atlanta in Ackworth. Our goal was to visit with them, take in some sites and for me to participate in a short 5.6 mile Time Trial on Saturday which was only an hour away from their home.

A little background on the Birdman. Eric is one of the greatest guys roaming this planet. He is very warm and endearing, always makes you feel like you are the most important person in the room. We have been friends since the 4th grade and a fierce competitor. Back in the day (high school), Eric was the "man" on campus. He's an accomplished swimmer and started his training at a fairly young age. He essentially broke every major swim record at our school and within the state. He actually got his nickname from Larry Bird the former Celtics basketball player. Eric was shooting hoops and nailing every shot - so became the birth of "the Birdman!"

Birdman wanted to join Geri and I for the race on Saturday which was awesome as I knew he loved competition and racing. We all got up early after a pretty late night and headed to Gwinnett County for the time trial. We arrived right on time for me to register, warm up and line up. My official time to go: 8:13a.m. sharp.

I set my trainer and bike up (mounting your bike to a stationary trainer for warming up) and got a solid 25 minutes of spinning to get warm and to get the blood flowing. At 8:00 a.m. I would dismount, change and ride over to the start / finish which was only about 100 yards away. The challenge with warming up and heading to the start line is timing. You don't want to arrive too early cause you can begin to cool down while you wait your turn to go. Obviously you don't want to arrive late cause you could miss your start time - which I did unfortunately. The time keeper had 8:15 a.m. on his phone (according to satellite time). However, we had 3 cell phones saying only 8:11 a.m. But, I was able to slip into another position as a "ghost rider" and was off within a few minutes.

The course description said back country roads, slight elevations and rolling hills - sounds so pleasant doesn't it? I'm like okay, I can deal with rollers - no problem as I'm actually a decent climber. Well, in Georgia, rollers must mean something different cause I had some major hills to climb. With these short time trials my strategy has been to get up to race pace quickly and hold it - just HAMMER! Unfortunately, this strategy was a mistake. Just after 1.5 miles was a fairly steep climb I did NOT really anticipate. My heart rate was already revved up pretty high and by the time I got to the top of the climb I was exhausted and could barely catch my breath. For the first time I thought - "oh man, I don't think I can finish" - I had officially blown myself up. However, I settled down and pretty much purged all that negative self-talk. I just tried to stay calm and sort out my breathing. The race took place about 1150 feet above sea level. That may not seem like much elevation, but when you train and race at sea level, it just became very difficult to breath - it was like I just couldn't get any air.

Mile 2 thru 4 was fairly flat which allowed me some time to recover. But, yet again was another steep climb. I kept saying, this is ridiculous, how can you have this steep of a climb in a time trial? Plus, other words of creative articulation. I used my gearing to accelerate up the hill, but man I was moving so slow watching time just slip by. I got to the top and told myself just about a mile or so to go. I attempted to tuck in again and just try to push out some watts and finish strong as my race fans were waiting at the finish (Geri and Birdman). It took me 15 minutes and 14.817 seconds to complete this brutal 5.6 mile TT. I got 16th out of 20 racers in my category, Cat 4/5 (Men over 35+).

I was extremely disappointed with my results as I knew and still know that I'm much stronger and quicker than that - regardless of the terrain. What I had realized is that I executed poorly - in sports, it happens. I misjudged the course and that was my fault. However, I'm chalking it up to more race experience and better preparation for future races. Plus, "the BIRDMAN" wants me to come back and kick some tail next year!

Thanks for the support and I hope you enjoy the new blog page.

Adam
PS - at the bottom of the blog is a pic of me and the BIRDMAN!

Adam gets PR and 3rd in Series Finale

Cycling Fans -

Not the tour de France, but the Team Armada Time Trial Series Finale!
Sunday was the 5th and final TT of the spring / summer series.
My goal for this season on this 4.1 mile course was to set a new "PR" (Personal Record) for myself.
Top speed for me on March 29th, 2009 was 28.35 mph (and I haven't been able to beat it since).
I had come close a few times this season but failed to execute on my strategy and needed just a bit more fitness.

So, Coach Dara and I have been working diligently on some hard core cadence (how many times per minute I rotate the pedals) intervals on the TT bike to get my speeds up.
We drilled it over and over week after week in prep for this final race.

Sunday was "go time" and all I had to do was execute cause I knew my training was about to pay off.
I warmed up, rolled up and I was off - timed my start perfectly as I had not yet begun to cool down.
The strategy was to blast it from the get go, peg it (my pace and speed) and hold it for as long as I could.
To PR I needed to keep my speed as close to 29 mph as possible. The winds were mild so I knew this was completely doable.
I had gotten off pretty quickly and up to goal speed (between 29 and 30 mph).
I found my line, (the straightest line to follow is your fastest line) kept my head down and just tried to focus on what I needed to do which was trust the training.
I was doing AWESOME but by mile "3ish" at an average of 29+ mph I started to fade; I watched my speed drop slowly to the low to mid 28s!
However, I knew I was close and just kept trying to push as hard as I could as the end was near.
By mile 4.1 I had nailed it, average speed of 28.73 mph and a new PR!

My times over the series (5 races) earned me 3rd Place Series Champion which is pretty cool - see podium pic attached (got me some more hardware).
Next race is the Gwinnett Bike Fest just outside Atlanta, GA. There is a 6 mile TT on Saturday July 24th - should be fun with competitors from all over the southeast.
Geri and I are going to make it a bit of a vacation!

Thanks for your support!

Adam

Adam Gets 3rd - West Palm Beach Race Series

Race Fans,

I was in West Palm Beach visiting family so I thought I'd test my legs and enter the West Palm Beach Race Series.
Races are held once a month on Sunday mornings. Distance is a 15k on a flat out and back road just past Lion Country Safari.
It was a beautiful Sunday morning and of course a bit windy.

My sister Erica lives in West Palm and has been joining me for some races.
Most of us who do Time Trials don't have much support in getting set up and race ready; it's a solo effort.
It's nice to have someone in your "camp" to assist with your equipment and above all provide the emotional support to race your best!
Thanks Sis!

I felt great despite a long week of training. However, this was a new race for me and I registered kind of late. The challenge was staying warm and loose as I was the 35th rider to go.
I've done quite a bit of riding in South Florida and the winds tend to pick up as the sun rises.

The wind and my "start" position were really the only factors as my fitness is coming along nicely.
There were 10 cyclists in my age group. I got 3rd. Very pleased with my result.

Thanks for your support.

Adam

2010 FL STATE TIME TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Race Fans,

Over 250 cyclists showed up Saturday in Jacksonville for the "Race of Truth" - the 40k Time Trial.
There were 25 of us in my category.

The course was the same as last year, approximately 12.4 miles out to the half way point and then back another 12.4 miles.
Leading up to the race I worked a lot on mental prep knowing this was going to be an outright sufferfest.
Time Trials are called the "Race of Truth" because it's just you, your bike and a ton of suffering for the entire 40k - no drafting off other cyclists.

My goal this year was to complete the Time Trial in under 60 minutes.
I warmed up, lined up and I was off right on time - 9:55 a.m. sharp.
The winds were beginning to pick up and I knew that I would have a little help on my way out to the turn-around, but be working against me on the way back.
Cyclists in other categories started at 8:00 a.m. and I caught a glimpse of a few faces on their way back while being on my first leg out.
I could see the pain and suffering on their faces and the not so steady pedal stroke and areo positions - I tried my best to be ready for what was coming.

I was completely calm and most of the nerves were gone by the first mile. I tucked in nicely, found my gearing and worked up steadily to a heart rate of about 175 bpm.
My speeds were for the most part between 26 - 27 mph.
I had to slow down a bit to navigate the sharp turn-around and begin my approach home.
Once the turn was made I began to feel what had helped me - now I'm completely relying on my mental stamina as I have a direct headwind all the way home (12.4 miles).
I had huge confidence heading back as I was over 2 minutes ahead of breaking an hour.
So, I relaxed and just attempted to stay positive and focus on a tight areo position with a higher cadence and a smooth pedal stroke.

Ultimately I finished in 61 minutes and 10 seconds; this represented an average of 24.4 mph (I needed an average of 24.86 to break the hour - so dang close).
The wind chipped away at me slowly over time dragging my time down. As I crossed the line I chuckled a bit to myself trying not to take things too seriously knowing I fell short of my goal.
The wind got the best of me and that's it with no other regrets, that's a great feeling. Progress, not perfection - 2011 here we go!
Got 10th out of 25 - not too bad, plus I shaved an entire minute off my time from last year. That's right, 11 months of work to cut my time by a minute and I'm proud of it!

Thanks again for your continued support.

Adam

Adam Gets 3rd in Team Armada Series Opener

Race Fans,

Sunday was Team Armada's Time Trial Series Opener.
I had been looking forward to this race for 2 reasons: 1) it was a short 4.1 mile course, and 2) it's a point to point flat course (no turn-around)
Essentially, this is an all-out "hammerfest" from the get go!
I was so inspired these past two weeks watching the Winter Olympics, especially the ladies downhill skiers.
You could see on their face just how amped and mentally prepared they were to attack the downhill courses - every time I race I just hope to "be in the moment."

The weather for most of the course was absolutely perfect with a nice tailwind, but a mean headwind last mile.
The first 3 miles were just awesome as I was pushing a record pace for me, about 28.5 to just over 30 mph.
By mile 4 came the headwind. So I just switched into an easier gear and attempted to "spin" my way thru and keep the speeds up.

Got 3rd place with an average speed of 27.97 mph (not a PR on this course, but still fast)!

My Time Trial Teammates Val and Shelley (see pic below) also rode wicked fast.
Shelley averaged 25.18 mph and Val averaged 23.57 mph; 1st and 2nd place!

Thanks again for your support,

Adam

Adam gets 3rd in Swamp Classic

Race Fans,

Friday night we (took the whole family - see attached pic) made the trek to Gainesville for the Swamp Classic (a two-day cycling event).
I competed in the Saturday Time Trial as "Crits" (group bike racing usually around short city blocks) are just not in my DNA.
This is a great early season race to benchmark your racing fitness.

The day was perfect other than the wind which is always a factor here in Florida.
The Time Trial (TT) was an "out and back" 9 mile course on a very narrow country road with no traffic lights or stop signs - our Honda Pilot barely fit within the lane, no kidding.

There was a tailwind heading out with fierce "head-on" winds way back. The challenge was to bring myself to the edge of my pain and speed threshold leaving enough in the "tank" to get back.
Fortunately, Coach Dara and I did some training prior to this race to prepare for these race conditions.
It was the the most brutal TT yet as I have never had to face headwinds that fierce for that long.

In my category, there were 12 of us and I got 3rd (got me some hardware)! I managed to average a bit over 24 mph - not a bad TT and quite happy with the result.

Thanks for your continued support,

Adam

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