Valley of the Sun Recap
Sorry that it has been awhile. After driving back from Phoenix last week, I have been busy trying to recuperate and the brain has been pretty much shut off.
As for the recap of the Valley of the Sun Race, I would say I am pretty happy overall with my performance being that the race was the culmination of the biggest five week base block I have ever done (base meaning high volume, low intensity training which is the beginning of every cyclist's season each year); being that I have never put in a real full base block. Last year I was out from January until May with a knee injury and then I jumped straight onto the track never really putting in the slow long rides. So I am feeling pretty good already after putting in this work this season.
The VoS race started off with a 22k (13mile) time trial which I ended up 35th, about 1:35 off the leader in the Cat. 2 field. I have never been a good time-trialist but my roommate Kiel lent me his TT bike and I was able to get a decent position on it in the week prior to the race. I felt strong and focused in the first TT of the season which at this stage is about all you can ask for. The speed will come in the next two months but it is good to maintain strength year around.
The next day the Cat 2 stage was a 93 mile road race made up of five and a half laps around a pretty flat circuit with the exception of a mile long, 500ft elevation gain, climb before the hilltop finish. The day was very chaotic throughout as some riders missed their start do to an accident on the I-10 freeway, and then for most of the race there was a 30+ mph wind, which meant a cross/head wind for 3/4 of the coarse. Only the climb had a tail wind, so there was really no section to recover on each lap. I felt pretty miserable for most of the race, getting dropped off the back of the pack twice up the climb and having to chase back on on the down hill. I ended up sitting at the back for two laps before the finish, hating life. But to my surprise when we got to the last time up the climb, no one wanted to keep the tempo high, and everyone just sat looking at each other trying to conserve all they had left for the finishing sprint. By this time in the race I just wanted it to be over and I got some good motivation on the last lap just knowing that I was going to finish. I was sick of sitting and waiting at the back, spinning, and decided to put it in a high gear and do a little power climb because I knew I was not going to have a sprint at the line. This ended up dropping about half of the 30 rider pack I was in, and I ended up leading out the remaining riders with 5 coming around me with 100m to go. So I finished seventh since there was one solo attack that got away form our group. I was completely amazed at how it all unfolded, and it turns out I might become an alright road racer after all.
The VoS ended with a criterium in downtown Phoenix. It was nothing special, just a normal Cat 2 early season crit. The course was fun but the skill of the field made the crit very sketchy and nerve wracking. The 55 minute race came down to a field sprint, I had poor positioning and was just happy to finish in one piece in the field.
Overall, I finished 18th in the omnium. Right after the crit I drove through the night with my roommate Kiel and returned home at 8am. Nothing like ending the trip with a bang.
As for the recap of the Valley of the Sun Race, I would say I am pretty happy overall with my performance being that the race was the culmination of the biggest five week base block I have ever done (base meaning high volume, low intensity training which is the beginning of every cyclist's season each year); being that I have never put in a real full base block. Last year I was out from January until May with a knee injury and then I jumped straight onto the track never really putting in the slow long rides. So I am feeling pretty good already after putting in this work this season.
The VoS race started off with a 22k (13mile) time trial which I ended up 35th, about 1:35 off the leader in the Cat. 2 field. I have never been a good time-trialist but my roommate Kiel lent me his TT bike and I was able to get a decent position on it in the week prior to the race. I felt strong and focused in the first TT of the season which at this stage is about all you can ask for. The speed will come in the next two months but it is good to maintain strength year around.
The next day the Cat 2 stage was a 93 mile road race made up of five and a half laps around a pretty flat circuit with the exception of a mile long, 500ft elevation gain, climb before the hilltop finish. The day was very chaotic throughout as some riders missed their start do to an accident on the I-10 freeway, and then for most of the race there was a 30+ mph wind, which meant a cross/head wind for 3/4 of the coarse. Only the climb had a tail wind, so there was really no section to recover on each lap. I felt pretty miserable for most of the race, getting dropped off the back of the pack twice up the climb and having to chase back on on the down hill. I ended up sitting at the back for two laps before the finish, hating life. But to my surprise when we got to the last time up the climb, no one wanted to keep the tempo high, and everyone just sat looking at each other trying to conserve all they had left for the finishing sprint. By this time in the race I just wanted it to be over and I got some good motivation on the last lap just knowing that I was going to finish. I was sick of sitting and waiting at the back, spinning, and decided to put it in a high gear and do a little power climb because I knew I was not going to have a sprint at the line. This ended up dropping about half of the 30 rider pack I was in, and I ended up leading out the remaining riders with 5 coming around me with 100m to go. So I finished seventh since there was one solo attack that got away form our group. I was completely amazed at how it all unfolded, and it turns out I might become an alright road racer after all.
The VoS ended with a criterium in downtown Phoenix. It was nothing special, just a normal Cat 2 early season crit. The course was fun but the skill of the field made the crit very sketchy and nerve wracking. The 55 minute race came down to a field sprint, I had poor positioning and was just happy to finish in one piece in the field.
Overall, I finished 18th in the omnium. Right after the crit I drove through the night with my roommate Kiel and returned home at 8am. Nothing like ending the trip with a bang.
