It took me a while to realise that no matter what you do in training, training is always to structured to really replicate racing. You can replicate the intensities and the durations and event the terrain but you just can simulate the feel of a road race or criterium. Those little micro bursts of acceleration, the times when you have to close a gap and you simply forget to change gear and your legs end up spinning at 150rpm, these are the kind of things that you just don't get from structured solo training rides. The one key thing for me that stands out as being very different is pain of the efforts. For example, i can push myself very very hard in training doing things like 4 minute intervals but I'm able to push that hard because i know that after that 4 minutes i know that i will be able to rest before going hard again. In a race you simply cant do that, if you go all out for 4 minutes to catch a break you might end up getting on to the tail end of it only for another attack to go which you have to respond to. The whole principle of having to “go” when you are not ready to is something that most riders just don't force up on them selves in training and that is why racing can well be one of the best forms of training. After all you cant get more specific race training than racing its self.
This leads me nicely on to a bit of race report from last nights Circuit Race at Stourport Sport Centre. This is first time i have ridden these races and i was extremely impressed with the venue and the track itself. Its fast, twisty and consists of lots of sharp turn and banked hairpins, in fact it reminded me of the my old BMX racing days. Tonight's race was simply a training race for me, i still look to get a result in a training race but it usually comes from chance than tactics or race craft. I have always found Crits tough due to the continual high force acceleration out of corners, something that my build doesn't really cater for. But i also know that because this is one of my limiters its something that i know will improve my overall riding if i improve at it, hence the reason for doing these races.
I done a really hard training session on Tuesday and was expecting to feel it a lot in this race although during my warm up i felt pretty good so was really up for some aggressive raining tonight. The main aim of tonight's Racing/Training was to work on my confidence when attacking and also attacking when tired. This is something that i don't do as much as i should so i decided to focus on that. I often get worried or even scared about making full bore attacks in races due to giving it my all only for a counter attack to happen and leave me getting shelled out of the back, the only way i am going to over come this is by doing and almost hoping that it happens. Again this is why training races are so good.
So to cut a long story short, the race was 45 minutes plus 5 laps which equated to a total race time of just under 60 minutes and for the first half of the race i did nothing but attack! I attacked here, i Attacked there, When i was fresh, when i was tired, when i was dying. I got away solo for a few laps, i bridged up to some breaks and chased down many others. Basically i was flogging myself to death on the front trying to get over my worry of attacking. And then guess what, after i had made a string of attacks i sat up to take a breather and low and behold a counter attack went which ended up being the move that split the race in two. Bloody Typical, my fears had been realised but then its only what i was expecting to happen.
So for the last part of the bunch were split in to two groups, one being the leader and the other being the chase group. unfortunately the guys in my group were all riding pretty negatively meaning that they didn't want to do any work. So in the end i took it up and pretty much dragged them round until i had nothing left. That gap stayed as it was, we couldn't close it but the couldn't gain much. #as we rounded the last corner the group started getting excited and a crash was inevitable so i moved to the back out of the way and opened my sprint, managing to take a few riders i ended up 10th but game my position to the guy who came 11th as he was desperate for the point.
So in conclusion, this was terrible from a race prospective but from a training point of view it was perfect and i ticked all the boxes on my check list. This should put me in good stead for the road race at the weekend and will be back here next week for another bash.
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