Leadville- Looking Back, Looking forward

It's been a week since Leadville and I think it's important to look back at the race and what I could have done different on the day, along with how my training should change in order to have a better race next year.

Looking Back-

-Position- I talked about this in my last blog, but I think the number one thing I could have done to improve my race day is better positioning in the pack at the start. Having a little open trail in front of me and not being stuck in a three wide pack could have made a huge difference in my day. It's not a mistake I'll make again.

-Equipment Maintenance and Setup- The bike I rode was a great choice for Leadville (Giant NRS) it climbed and descended well and maybe the only better choice would have been a Hardtail 29er. However, both the bike setup (handlebar height & cockpit length) and brakes fluid hadn't been changed since 2001. I'm a very different rider than I was back then and getting a professional fit could have made a long day on the bike a little more comfortable and a lot more efficient. As far as the brakes go, I should have had the fluid changed and I knew it. On the descent from Columbine I overheated both the front and rear brakes, fortunately not both at the same time. It ended up making a really fast enjoyable descent, quite slow and nerve racking. Because I was so late getting to Twin lakes the first time neither of these things really effected my day. But, If I had gotten there 15-20 minutes earlier, either of these mistakes really had the potential to mess things up.

Looking Forward-

-Base Training- The biggest training change I can make is to build a base in the winter. This year my training was focused on The Utah State Time Trial which only lasted 45 minutes or so and didn't require any real base building.

-Ride Off road- I need to spend more time on the Mountain Bike stating earlier in the year. This year I only spent 22 hours and 175 miles on my mountain bike, 8 hours and 65 miles of that were race day! Time on the mountain bike is the only ways to hone the handling skills I need to ride smoothly off road.

-Strength Training- I need to do some upper body and core strength training. Building a big engine with a power based training plan is great for riding up big hills, but you still need the upper body and core strength to get by the technical sections of the trail smoothly.

-Loose weight and Improve Functional Threshold- It's no mistake that my friend Thor was able to ride around the pack and get clear up front. He was able to use his power and handling skills (see the previous points) to get clear of the mire and overcome the mistake we made in positioning at the start. To improve my power to weight ratio from 2.7w/kg (watts per kilo) to Thor's 3.7w/kg is, at very least, a two year proposition. But, I do have 10kg that I can loose (in the off season) and if I can improve my Threshold by another 10% by next year I'll be close to 3.4w/kg, which is a great start.

Now all I have to do is put together a training plan that will address all those points....

...And of course do the training! Stay tuned, that's next.

Train Hard and Smart

Pat