Sunday, September 18, 2016

Gran Fondo Winthrop 2016: Getting Ready: Part II

Gran Fondo Winthrop Course Profile

Gran Fondo Winthrop is the last of my riding goals for 2016. Looking forward to a great day in a beautiful landscape. As I think about the ride, and based on last year's experience, I've divided it into the following segments.  Perhaps, under 7 hours is possible, though everything will have to go well, that is, very, very well. Assuming reasonable weather, here's the plan: 

Eat breakfast at 6:30 AM. Drink a Gatorade at 7:45 AM. Go at 8:00!! Ride Hard. Ride Polite. Be Alive. 

#1: Warmup (8.6 miles, + 613 ft. of climbing) – Stay toward the front and don’t take any wind. If people start fast and gaps open up, be patient, stay the course, and let someone else close them. Last year the initial pace put me above threshold a couple of times, which, with the jumping and slowing, was counter productive. If possible, I would like to avoid that. Eat a rice cake, before climb #1.


Part of the "Warmup" Segment: A Little Too Fast for Me in 2015, But Nice Views. From Vicious Cycle Facebook.

#2: Climb #1 (14.0 miles, + 4,143 ft.) – Ride gently and stay below threshold; try to form a group and work together (not likely feasible). Or, if feeling particularly good, hang on to a strong group, and get closer to threshold. In any case, try to avoid time trialing on my own. I'm probably dreaming because last year the group separated quite quickly into individuals working alone, at least that was my experience. At the aid station, stop for one bottle. 

#3: Up and down (10 miles, about +1,200 ft.) – Try to ride the two "small" climbs hard, at threshold; Recover with care on the short downhills; Eat lunch (rice cake and bar and Gatorade) after the first downhill, on the first flat bit. 

#4: Downhill #1 (16.0 miles, -4,462 ft.) – Ride conservatively; Avoid scary moments; Be especially careful on the pavement, where potholes lurk and speeds will be fast - I'm guessing 35-40 mph or a little faster. The speed will be fine but be ready for cars, deer, rocks, crappy asphalt, and so on and so forth. Just prior to the aid station, eat a bar, stop, and get a banana and fill two bottles. 

#5: Climb #2 (17.2 miles, +4,069 ft.) – If feeling good, get to a little below threshold and try to push limits as the climb unfolds; Stay optimistic, be focussed, and enjoy the views. Before the hard part starts, consume some caffeine; at the top, consume some more caffeine. 

#6: Downhill #2 (24.2 miles, -4,602 ft.) – Ride conservatively, especially in the middle section. But, try to find a speed that makes the washboard go away. Be very careful as the gravel turns to pavement and on the rough pavement that follows. Focus on a hard steady finish. Don't worry about the little hills which will make things painful, as they will come and go quickly; the finishline will come. 

I think I'm ready. The training over the last three weeks has gone well. After my summer break in August, my plan was to do two hard weeks, then do a recovery week, and make the last week very easy. In other words, a big break, two weeks of hard training, and two weeks of taper. 

Over the last three weeks, I got in 45 hours: 16.0 + 20.0 + 9.0 hours. The longer riders were:  6:15 and 6:45 hours, mostly in Zone 2.  After these long rides I did 3 hour recovery rides in Zone 1, thinking that the back-to-back long riders would be helpful. On my recovery week (week #3), I did a 2:45 hour ride at varied efforts and took two days off. 

I did the following interval workouts: (1) 2 x 20 min. threshold, (2) 2:00 hour fartleck, (3) 4 x (8 min. Zone 5 + 4 min. Zone 1), (4) fast spinning session, and (5) 5 x (8 min. in Zone 5 + 4 min. Zone 1). 

The rest of the time was spend mostly in Zone 1/2. 

My weight is good (151 lb.) and my resting hear rate has dropped during the recovery week.  So, I should be good to go! 

Tires, tires, tires. Unfortunately, my tubeless tire situation has been a pain in the ass. I've had trouble getting a reliable set-up. The 38c Specialized Trigger on the front wasn't holding air well. So, I replaced the tape and tried again. That worked and now its holding air well.  Ya!! 

The 33c Specialized Trigger on the back was leaking. So, I replaced the tape but when I pumped it up a bunch of sealant poured out of a fairly small hole on the center of the tread and the tire would not hold air - it would deflate to about 20 psi and then stay there.  So, I tried another tire. That held air great but when out on a ride I must have hit a rock and the sidewall got cut and sealant spewed out. Again, the tire held air but only about 30 psi and I could push on the cut and cause the sealant to come away and create a nice big leak. Meanwhile, my tire valve seemed a bit wonky - that is, when I initially opened the value air would came out.  Perhaps air was leaking at the valve. So, I installed a new 33c Specialized Trigger tire and new valve on the back. All seems good now, at least after 2 hour and 45  on hilly and varied gravel. Fingers crossed. 

Conclusion:  I believe the  38c Specialized Trigger to be a much better tire than the 33c for my purposes. Actually, I have learned that they are completely different tires. Second, I'm hopeful that my back tire will hang in there for Gran Fondo Winthrop.  But, I'm not using the 33c tires again! I need to find a new tire that works for my wheels and frame. This might be it for next year: Clement X'Plor MSO Tubeless (36 mm). 



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