Call it an abortion....
So today was a prime example on how if you do everything wrong in your training plan, it will do you wonders for helping you do everything wrong in a race. Today was a complete disaster, well, not really but lets just say I didn't have it in me to "race."
Today was the Show Me State Games and Fat Tire Series race at Rockbridge State Park in Columbia. The last two weeks of my training have been nada... I suffered a knee injury from the crazy hiking done in Colorado so last week I had very limited time to ride. Unit waxed my arse Friday night at Binder, and I could tell my knee was prohibiting from expeling all my power.
Today was no exception. I could tell when I was warming up that I didnt have much in me. I came into the woods 2nd out of 13 or so but less than a quarter of a mile in I suffered chain suck. I knew my gears have been a little off but today they were way off. John said its the cheap brake cables and housing they had stock on the bike. Nice... That little blub took a minute to fix and put me in dead last.
I caught half the pack after the first lap but I could tell it wouldn't last long. I was confirmed after the set of hills in the second lap. This was a hilly course and my knee had nothing left. At that point I began to to accept the fact that I would not be finishing very good. In hindsite I might have been able to pull out a 3rd but at the end I could of been in a hella alot of pain. I didnt want to further injure the knee either, mainly because of the Rapture in Misery coming up this coming weekend. That's gonna be a 6 hour race of pure fun at Landahl.
My third lap was me seeing just how slow I could go, and it was slow. Something like a 44 minute lap compared the 27 in the first. There wasn't a minute that went by that my chain didn't skip and I had no "real" gears, just a bunch of clicking and hoping it moved.
Luckily I didnt really need this race so I was fine with taking it super slow. Doesn't bother me a bit, I know that with how much I've been riding and whats gone on the last few weeks have got me thrown off my game. But now its back in the saddle. I've got to get back to normal, I need to take the race at Trail of Four Winds so that I can race expert in the last race. With this 6 hour race coming up and then a Criterium the following weekend followed by a few weeks of but hard on the training should be good for working up to it.
Oh, how some days we just dont have it....
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Too hot for big efforts
When you're off the back in this heat your race is over. It's just too hot to put it out there in the red zone and be left with anything in reserve.
Good race, G, all the same. After all, they're all good. Aren't they?
Good outlook!
I am glad to hear that you can look at the facts and see them for what they are...no big deal. Everyone has bad days once in a while, and having a technical on top of a bad day is the architecture for a disaster...sometimes it is best to let one go.
I was really hoping to read that you had your gears/transmission fixed BEFORE the race. While I was riding your bike, it was obvious that there were some problems there....sure I hate gears, but there was something really wrong there.
All the same, you have to lose a race once in a while or else people will start to talk...or something like that...I am in uncharted territory here...I have no idea what it would be like to win MOST of the races I enter (the way you do).
Update
So today waking up was better than expected. I could really feel it in my knee last night but after some hardcore icing it was better. I could tell it helped this morning. I iced it again this morning and now during work I have no problems with it at all.
I really hope this is just something that is going to come and go. It has gotten much much better over the past week, so thats good. My father actually suggested that I should take 6 or so months off because he thinks it's could be one of those prolonging injuries. I told him when hell freezes over.
The good news is I got all jacked up on dates and the 12 Hour Rapture in Misery is actually two weekends away now. This will give me almost two full weeks to get back to normal being. I think with enough rest, water, and ice I can get this knee back up and going. Any suggestions would be welcome, I'm up for any kind of voodoo, black magic, hokus pokus you got.
Well, Since you asked...
I hesitate to critique someone's form, but I have noticed from day one that you keep your saddle REALLY high. You also seem to point your toes downward (possibly the reason why you seem to like your saddle high).
With your toes pointing down, you are loosing a bit of power (generally speaking). Most road riders learn early on to keep a flatter foot through the stroke (much more repetition in the stroke when you ride road for hours on end and pain becomes more apparent early on in their career). MTBers (typically) ride for shorter durations, are out of the saddle more, and move around so much that the problems take longer to notice (in general)
Long story short, I have concern for saddle position for new riders and/or riders complaining of knee pain (obviously you are a candidate for the later).
Yours may be related to the crash, but your position may have a bit to do with it also....take a look and see if you agree with me.
If it is position related...you first must correct the position problem.
Like I said, your problem may be acute (related to the crash), but chronic (position related) seems logical since you are riding more, and with more purpose this year.
Hope that helps you get even faster...although if you were to slow down, riding with you might be more fun for the rest of us....
Ha
"riding with you might be more fun for the rest of us...." Theres a good one, seems you didnt have any problems the other night. But no, really, I appreciate the insight.
The reason I ride my saddle so high is because any lower and I feel I dont get enough extension in my stroke. But I agree that I put my toes down a bit. So you think a flatter stroke will help increase power a bit huh? I ran upon this article a whiles back, and it shows a bit of a downward trend on the bottom of the stroke. http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-4-41-15647-1,00.html I always heard you want a slight bend in the knee when you foot is at the bottom of the stroke and I think I still achieve that with my high saddle.
When I got on your bike the other day I noticed your seat was wwwaaayyy lower than mine. I have a 34 or so inseam, but I'd imagine you'res is close to that too. I could tell a big difference in my pedal stoke too, I felt like I was missing a third of my power. Of course my cleat placement and shoes may have to do with it too? But in all honesty I've never had problems with either one of my knees until after the brutal Colorado hike. I had my back and knee adjusted today at the chiropractor and he told me my knee was indeed out of alignment. He could tell by the way my legs laid.
All in all though I find it interesting your conclusions on my riding style and I will be the first to admit that I do not know all there is to know about positioning. This is why I'd like your help and advice next time we ride. We'll look at some different things I might be able to play around with and see how it works.
Yeah, me too...
That makes two of us.
Slight toe down is normal, but a lot will definitely sap some power. You have been riding this way for so long, that when you try to change (if you try) you will lose power initially but likely find it will be temporary....and may be this injury is acute and not related to this position aspect at all?
Oh, and yes my saddle is low. In fact it is too low for me, I am in the process of raising it (little by little) to the correct height. I lowered it when I started SSing because I stand so much, and because I like it out of the way when things get hairy. BUT as I ride longer and faster, it becomes apparent that I will be faster with a better fit....go figure....Duh!
It is a balance between "fun" riding and "fast" riding. Sort of like why you are starting to see Gravity Droppers popping up on the bikes ridden by aggressive riders. They want the saddle low for descending, and higher for developing power.
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