roller sprints

US Open Cycling Foundation has been putting on a few "VeloSprints" this winter.  Every other Monday from 12-2 and 5-10 they set up at a bar/restaurant and people can stop by, make a donation to the foundation and race each other or the clock.

Durishin has been doing these for a couple years now, I had talked with him at the inception and until this year when he opened up over lunch, hadn't made it down to give it a go on his Masi's bolted up to the Kreitlers. Yeah.  Fork mount. Kind of cheating when you're old and remember roller races being rollers and you brought your own bike.  I'd be kind of screwed though.  I don't own a track bike.  I'll be blunt.  I'm a track virgin.  By the time I had heard about Marymoore Velodrome I'd moved from Seattle.  Just as they got the track together in Michigan the commute sucked the cycling out of me.  And there isn't anything reasonably close to PVD to give it a whirl even on a rented bike.  Total pipe dream of mine to set up a high banked indoor track locally.

So anyway enough track dreaming.  Fixed gears don't have much draw to me once you take them off the track.  Maybe i'll have to head to NH to give it a try up there one day.

Yesterday I headed in.  Took it easy but not as easily as I did today.  At noon I hopped on the Croll and rolled down the hill.  Handed over my cash and took my thompson post out and got the saddle high set up on the Masi.  The bike is too small, the cranks are wicked short, and the seatpost is about 2" past the max where i need to be.  First time I tried it I just pedaled with short legs.  Second time after the first run I brought my bike in and took the seatpost/saddle and did a second run.  Yesterday I just brought the bike in and did both runs with the seatpost at a decent height.  Would be nice if there were clipless pedals on there, the toe clips are wicked tiny so i wind up pedaling with my toes essentially.  And that kind of sucks but it is what it is.  It is Durishin's show not mine.  Saddle/post I can deal with easily.

Did the first run and Cameron was freaking neck and neck with me at the halfway point and i'd been a half second or more faster than him in the past and I found a bit of a kick to get a gap in the second 250 meters.  Wound up with a 22.7 something for 500 meters (48x15 gearing - you do the math).

That one hurt all the way up to my throat.  Saw this quote today: "Interval minutes are like microwave minutes. They take longer than normal minutes."  These didn't feel like 23 second long sprints.  They felt long.  And take a bit to recover.  At least if you dig and go 100%.  Which for me? yeah whatever still MY 100%, i may not be a gifted athlete but it doesn't mean I'm not trying my hardest.

I just kept pedaling circles for a bit.  Rubbery legs...  Ahhh the burn.  Not that I've been on the winning side of many crits but Yehuda Moon's strip here is about right.

Soon a few more people showed up and a woman who'd never done this before climbed on the bike next to me.  Her group had just watched me and Cameron go head to head in a furious match.  And in her words "racing you is great, there is no pressure." So run number two wasn't so much an attempt to beat someone as a chance to beat my first time.

And I did.  22.49.  500 meters.  Ouch.  It took me a few minutes of pedaling before I could even contemplate getting off the bike.  And then it wasn't easy walking.  But I had to get back to the office for an afternoon meeting.  No lunch.  And I still had to ride up the hill.  17% hurts.  But it is short.  The 9-10% grade later? THAT is what really hurts.

Got the meeting done and headed home.  Of course as soon as I pull on the Waterman, two blocks ahead is a commuter with one pannier.  And he turns on the street that means he's heading to the bridge.  Well damn. I have a rabbit now.

Chase is on.

There is one little issue.  I'm towing the trailer and we have a 20+mph wind.  A slight cross headwind if you will.  Sure enough I gain a bit of distance, just enough to mark that he's indeed heading on my route.

Oof the little rise up along side the parkway hurt.  He slowed down a bit but I was near my limit matching his pace up it and still 50 yards behind.  We hit the top part and he just cranked out 22mph or so.  It didn't look like he was at his limit but he didn't look like he was going easily (based on pedaling motions from what I could see).  I pulled him back but I was solid zone 5/5 on the HRM.  No way could I pull past him.  But then he stopped to turn his lights on just as we take the down hill past the construction and before the climb up to the hospital.  Now there's no way I wanted him to catch me on the hill.  And I unloaded there.  Eyes popping by the time I got to the stop light.  Then tried with everything to peg it into the wind at 20mph.  Got onto the path, and started my recovery.  No sign of him until I entered the Forest of Arnenberg section.  Oh there he was.  But.  After all that.  And the day.  I was in 100% recovery mode.  Rabbit caught, chewed up and spit out.  I was smashed.

He came rolling past, pulled down his balaclava (it was 50°F when i left the office) and said "Ahh, nice to be on the bike path."  And he pedaled on past.

And I let him go.

This morning was positively slow.  10mph maybe.  HR even on the hills was kept under 110 today.  nice spin, nice recovery.  Let whatever stress I induced heal and build on what was there before.

I definitely need to get on the bike to BOS again.  Maybe a trip to Firefly and then a second destination before returning to PVD.  Better check the weather against the schedule.  Really not sure I want to try it during minivan week with the likes of Chocolate Chip driving kids around during Winter break (just messing with ya Chip - I trust you - i think).

That's Lunch.

Catch y'all later

heddwch
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