Iowa Big 4 Cycling Conference... State Fair Crit

This week, I can finally say that I put together a nice training/racing block.  Despite my best efforts, it is next to impossible to be in peak form all season long.  After hitting it so hard for the first part of the season, I lost a bit of motivation, due to a touch of mental/physical burnout.  I feel that I am finally starting the journey back up the ladder... just in time for the second half of the season.

Iowa State Fair Criterium
Though I was disappointed with how things went for me at the 2011Zealous Road Race, I performed accordingly the next day at the Iowa State Fair Criterium.I finished 4th overall (results), losing out only to some of the strongest cyclist in Iowa this year..Mike Sencenbaugh (Zealous), Mattias Perret(Mercy-Specialized), and Brian West(World of Bikes/Bikes2You).  These guys are emerging as the team leaders for their respective organizations. 
 
The State Fair Crit started fast and stayed fast.  The hill on this course was steep, and probably about .25 miles. So we were probably climbing for about 5 or 6 miles all together, just not all at once... still about the closest thing to a mountain stage we can get here in Iowa. Therefore, this race was suited a bit more for the climber types.


Mike S.(Zealous) was seeking revenge for getting caught out the day before and set a blistering tempo around the course early on.  This guy races/trains in Arizona all winter then comes up to Iowa in the Summer.  I have raced with him for two years now, and watched him get better each race. He has some impressive results this year, and more to come... I put a great big mark on his back everytime I see that he is in a race with me.   He is a cat 1 now, and rightly so.

His first move didn't stick, as the 'Iowa Big 4' teams (Mercy, Zealous, World of Bikes, and of course American Equity) countered attacks and/or closed gaps as needed.  Teammates Lou and Paul were riding really strong in this race. Unfortunately, I can't really say that I ever felt 'strong', so I never attacked the group, though I did seem to have a faster approach to descent. I just hung on for the ride, and what a roller coaster it turned out to be.

There was always something going on during this race, so it went extremely fast.  Before I knew it, we were approaching the end of the event.    Mike Sencenbaugh made his final move, after quite a few other attacks had been countered and brought back throughout the race.  This move seemed to have staying power.  I felt that if I tried to catch him, I might blow up, and then get passed by the aggressive field, so decided to play it safe.  Mattias and Brian got up the road a bit, trying to chase him down.  Since Mike was so far up the road, the rest of the field, including Zealous, were still hoping to catch Mattias and Brian, so there was plenty of help trying to bring them back. 

The final lap I was behind Jerome Rewerts and Jared Osterloh (Zealous).  Jerome put in one last dig up the hill to sort of launch Jared. Jared didn't seem to have much left so I made my move about half way up the hill.  I focused on hitting it as hard as I could on the descent as well.  I came around the final corner, and up and over the smaller hill with Mattias and Brian in my sights, but too far to catch.  I had a sizeable gap on the rider behind me, so I rolled accross the line in 4th. 

The American Equity team got 3 guys in the top ten, and is enjoying their current lead of the Iowa Cup Team Competition (yeah, I know, alphabetical advantage, but this has been a team consideration from the beginning... we had a sponsorship offer from Zenith Equity, but turned it down for just this reason).

2011 Iowa Cup - Elite Team Competition
American Equity 46pts.
Iowa City Cycling Club 46pts.
Zealous Racing 44pts.
World of Bike/Bikes2You 22pts.
Colorbiotics 1pts.
Atlas Cycling 1pts.

Max Muscle Recovery
I really do feel good this season.  I have quite simply stepped up to the next level, as I endeavor to be competive against Cat 1,2 fields.  My diet is an area that needs some improvment.  First of all, I live alone, so my refrigerator has that bachelor look to it (mostly fluids).  The freezer section is where I select my meal for the evening.  I get most excited about frozen burrito night, which occurs 2 or 3 times per week.  Secondly, I really crave sweets.  I can put down some pretty large quantities of Twizzlers and Cupcakes. 

So, in an effort to try and counter this situation, I supplement my diet with good choices that will compensate within the areas my meals are lacking.  I have found a winning combination with Max Muscle's ARM for recovery, and EnduroMax for training.  The key to improving fitness for me, is to be able to recover as quickly as possible, and these two products seem to be doing the trick.

Time Trialing is a Pain in the Rear
I have been having trouble getting motivated to TT this year... My initial tests have been miserable, and I am not going to enter a race until I get some positive reinforcement from my training.  Basically, my gluteous muscles are a huge limiting factor, as they become sore and feel weak.  I actually think my new position may need some tweaking, as I just dont seem to have as much power on my TT bike as I did last year. So, my TT bike is getting pretty dusty, and I might not get out the dust remover til later in the year... we shall see.  But for now, I will keep focused on my Road Race goals.