A3 2019

dahat · 19-03-2019 1:47pm

sullzz wrote: »

Any pictures I saw of this race, you are sitting at the front of the bunch.
You also took a lot trimmer from the last time we met.
Well done.

Thanks!

That was the open crosswind section where i had been caught or left in front! Nce to get a few decent pics from the gram as well!

dahat · 25-03-2019 1:24pm

North Tipp Wheelers GP

This race has me slightly concerned for cramping due to the distance of 120km & likely fast pace. I had a busy couple of days beforehand with family events etc so i wasn't totally buzzed up for a race heading to bed Saturday night. Sunday meant an early rise as i had to drop the family to a lift for a swim gala so a 5.30 rise for a 12 race wasn't ideal let me tell ya.

There was maybe 80-90 in the A3/JR race which is a tidy amount on what was a narrow course in one section. I wsn't half as nervous at the start which may be confidence or not exeting anyhing from the race.

Lap 1 i did my now customary trying to get off the front or join early moves but after 25k nothing decent stuck so sat back in to recover on what seemed like the never ending lap of 40km

Lap 2 i tried again a few times and also closed down a few moves as well with the realisition that i'm doing too much starting to dawn on me. The legs however feel good so to heel with it, i'll race this properly till the end.

Lap 3 The winning break of 6 escaped in ones & twos so i missed this but i did try to join the winner 20k out but couldn't get on his wheel for the bried few seconds i tried, not wholly unexpected! The bunch ramped up for the reamining places on offer and while we caught some all that was left was 7,8,9 & 10th place for us. Narrow roads & a big bunch caused a few crashes with lads slwing down at the front so i jumped off at 1100 out and more or less led in the gallop though i felt like i was well away until 10 yards from the line when they nabbed me. I am fairly sure i managed to hang on for 1pt but no confimation as of yet.

All things considered i should have got 7th with a litte more patience but i'd have taken the result heading out the door for the race.

Did anyone else ride this race? I'd be curious to know how it raced to others. I felt it was a good soild gallop for a flatish 120km.

dahat · 25-03-2019 1:27pm

dahat wrote: »

Clonard 9th March
Carrick 17th March
NTW Wheelers 24 th March

A nice block of 3 races starts this Saturday for me with hopes of at least one good showing high.

This block is complete with postives in all 3 races, top 20 in Clonard & Carrick with a top 10 in NTW GP. A slight tinge of regret that i could have nabbed another point.

dahat · 27-03-2019 1:44pm

Progression to the next step...

The plan i followed through the winter to early March was a set package from Premier Endurance and with that expired now i've decided to go on an indivdual package. I have found i work well with pre set workouts and with time a huge factor especially midweek it should suit me.My weight is steady at 96kgs so a fasted recovery spin has been added to my sechdule each week which may help shift a small bit more.

FTP test today so hoping to sneak another few watts of an increase, 1 kg lighter than my last test which is slightly disappointing.

dahat · 28-03-2019 1:18pm

More power = more suffering

FTP has increased to 361 after yesterdays test, + 11 watts from my most recent test in February.

Stats from when i started the log on 01/01

Weight: 99.2kgs
FTP: 330

Current stats

Weight: 96.00kgs
FTP: 361

dahat · 01-04-2019 12:23pm

No racing= coffee n cake!!

No racing weekend gone so some endurance & threshold work done ovr Saturday & Sunday with a noce coffe and cake stop in the Coach House.

Dungarvan on April 7th was part of my plan but can't make it as i've to be in UL that day. My next outing witll be Ras an Laoisd on April 21st and as its a bit away a nice training block can be done beforehand.

Now just to wait till TP updates from Premier Endurance....

dahat · 08-04-2019 11:44am

Anyone raced Dunsany GP?

Is it a "safe " A3 race? Is it a race where non juniors have a chance?

CramCycle · 08-04-2019 12:20pm

dahat wrote: »

Anyone raced Dunsany GP?

Is it a "safe " A3 race? Is it a race where non juniors have a chance?

Its the same route as the Lucan GP, ie the Green Sheds circuit, only difference is the finish line is in Dunsany, with a right turn back upto the start at the end.

Can't comment on the Juniors but I have always found that route safe and race it a few times a year. Hard to say if the juniors will be winding down for exams, but I suspect not.

dahat · 08-04-2019 12:28pm

CramCycle wrote: »

Its the same route as the Lucan GP, ie the Green Sheds circuit, only difference is the finish line is in Dunsany, with a right turn back upto the start at the end.

Can't comment on the Juniors but I have always found that route safe and race it a few times a year. Hard to say if the juniors will be winding down for exams, but I suspect not.

Course be fine for me then and while not a fastman i'd give a good account there all going well.

Another race added to the calender!!

Miklos · 09-04-2019 2:28pm

Follow Colm Bracken or John Priest's wheel and you'll come out alright!

dahat · 09-04-2019 2:58pm

Miklos wrote: »

Follow Colm Bracken or John Priest's wheel and you'll come out alright!

With about 100 other lads!!! If i can jump off those wheels i'd be pleasantly surprised and shocked.

dahat · 09-04-2019 3:09pm

Training & more training..

With no racing till Ras an Laois this is a good time for a solid training block till then.

Saturday: Threshold(105- 110%) - 5 x 10 at 90 rpm, hard work with 60min Z2 before and after, suffered like a dog for the last one but got through it.
Sunday: 12hrs in UL at a swim gala, worse than any race or workout but great day for my daughter so worth the mental hell.
Monday : 60mins fasted recovery at 6am...
Tuesday: Lactate overload work, these went really well and the last was as good as the first- 30 secs at 120% then 5 mins at 100%. Asolid start to a Tuesday as i did these at 6.30am!!

The rest of the week has more threshold, a sprint session with endurance based spins for Saturday ( 4hrs) & Sunday ( 3hrs). A busy week but legs and body feel good just now.

AM training works a treat for me weekdays but hopefully longer evenings will mean i can venture outside for a session or two when evening traffic has eased.

My weight is at 95ks currently, happy but could be better. A work in progress.

dahat · 18-04-2019 12:47pm

Time to go racing again...

So after a solid training block in which i feel went really well its time to attack my next racing block.

Ras an Laois 17th April
FTP Test 25th April
Frank O Rourke 5th May
Dunsany GP 11th May.

Of this block i have only raced the Frank O Rourke, it's course i like and feel it should suit me so fingers crossed. The others are unknown and totally different but as my legs feel good i'm hopeful of a ghood showing in these races.

As a measure of my improvement i'd be nearly disappointed if i couldnt get a Top 10 in at least one race.

dahat · 23-04-2019 8:08am

Ras an Laois

Domino effect....

Easter Sunday gave us the most beautiful day for racing, best this year by a long way. Hopefully returns soon!

The course itself seemed like it would suit and when i saw the last kilometre i was even more certain. A very sweet 450 yard dig to the line once i could get postion to negoiate the sharp l90 degree left turn just before.

The race itself was quick then slow, lads trying to get away but none stuck. I even had 5/6k of a solo myself, felt like i was minutes up the road but in reality i had about 15 secs max!!!!! As per normal i stayed handy throughout to give myself the best chance of avoiding spilts, crashes etc with all going well. Once we hit the last lap focus was now on to get top 15 for the last turn then hit the full gas at 200 out ( 400-200 was the steepest part of the finish). Legs were good, position good, 1k out, can i win??? focus now...hold wheels, avoid his wheel.....correct gear.....

The all came to sudden halt, lad 4 riders up decided not to make the turn and planeted the wall another lad two ridiers to my left shouldered his rival who had no choice but to take me out, race over. The overhead drone footage suggests the lad who finisihed fourth caused the concertina effect at the bend.

The best i've felt at the end of a race and in the best position to get a proper result, top 5 was on the cards, maybe more. This is racing however and with bike and body all okay im grateful as the wall looked pretty solid in fairness!

I may never get another chance like that. Still at least the legs are good and on we go to Wexford on May 5th.

dahat · 27-04-2019 8:16pm

FTP Test

As i'd been using the Trainerroad format for any test i've ever done i decided to create the test in Training Peaks instead of a monthly sub for one workout. It was simple really and have it for all time now though there is one slight differences, initial warm up doesn't ramp but that isn't a big concern.

So the format is warm up then three escalating 1 min on/off efforts under high cadence 100 rpm plus then 5 mins rest, 5 mins max effort , 5 mins rest then the 20 min tt effort for the test itself. Everything was rosy with a 447 watt avg for 5 min max effort and held my target of 381 watts for first 5 mins. After the 5 min i wanted to lap that part but after hitting the lap button the test went into the 10 min cool down period, i couldn't believe it, 35 mins utterly wasted so abandoned ship with alot of anger voiced from the confine sof my shed, the poor mrs thought something serious was wrong!!! Needless to say the form was ****e for a while after as i'd been expecting a decent result but parked then till the next day.

24hrs later with good legs under me i cracked on with no drama and nailed the test. As usual i was on the ropes for the last 3 mins but stuck at it to beat the target set of 383-385 avg. With a lot of sweat and grunting i finished with 387 avg for the 20 mins, very happy with that.

This gives me a new FTP of 371, plus 10 watts from my test in March.

Stats from when i started the log on 01/01

Weight: 99.2kgs
FTP: 330

Current stats 27/04

Weight : 95.0 kgs
FTP : 371

dahat · 02-05-2019 9:08am

Club League Race 02/05

Managed to squeeze a league race into the plan last night, pan flat 53k from scratch group. The A4's got 5 mins on a combined A1,A2,A3 group which seemed generous as they had 22 compared to our 10 i think. As a group we wroked like a dream to make the catch about 2km out for a gallop to the line. I started the gallop with two lads geting a few yards but they blew near the line. I finished 3rd at th line with A1 and A4 clubmate in front of me, pleased with the workout.

Overall i felt strong all night and well able to hold in with the stronger lads, hopefully this translates to a decent race Sunday.

nilhg · 02-05-2019 1:12pm

dahat wrote: »

Club League Race 02/05

Managed to squeeze a league race into the plan last night, pan flat 53k from scratch group. The A4's got 5 mins on a combined A1,A2,A3 group which seemed generous as they had 22 compared to our 10 i think. As a group we wroked like a dream to make the catch about 2km out for a gallop to the line. I started the gallop with two lads geting a few yards but they blew near the line. I finished 3rd at th line with A1 and A4 clubmate in front of me, pleased with the workout.

Overall i felt strong all night and well able to hold in with the stronger lads, hopefully this translates to a decent race Sunday.

With the vets TT up here cancelled on Tuesday evening I went down to the Collins Race TT in Horse and Jockey, I was thinking you might have been there but obviously you were keeping your powder dry for the following evening, a good result those lads are no slouches

dahat · 02-05-2019 1:31pm

nilhg wrote: »

With the vets TT up here cancelled on Tuesday evening I went down to the Collins Race TT in Horse and Jockey, I was thinking you might have been there but obviously you were keeping your powder dry for the following evening, a good result those lads are no slouches

Thanks, yeah always a good gallop each week. Id like to do more but stuff gets in the way.

There is no TT next week just in case you are travelling.

dahat · 15-05-2019 2:25pm

Frank O Rourke

My last race was the Frank O Rourke in which the A3 race was marred by by the tragic death of Sean Lynch, RIP.

Block after block

Training is going well just now with heart rate dropping for Z3 efforts plus a very encouraging outdoor sprint session last week,12 x 30 secs full gas seperarted by 4 mins recovery yielded good power numbers for 20 secs in 3 or 4 reps. This is very encouraging as this session has defeated me before though indoor sprint sessions are hell.

I had a couple of solo 4hr spins last weekend and while these are enjoyable some company would be great! The times i left plus each spin had certain intervals so it would be unfair to expect someone to do same as my z3 could be their Z5 or vice versa. The views around the coast roads of Waterford certainly helped the mind though and i'll see more this week with a 5hr spin on Sunday with a 6 or 7am depart.

My weight has dropped to 94kgs and with FTP still increasing all remains well on the performance front.I've started to believe that i may be good enough to nick an A3 race on the right course if not this year then early next year, confidence is sky high just now and i'm racing accordingly.

dahat · 29-05-2019 12:13pm

The good & the bad

League race last week yielded a decent result with third from a handy sized filed with the first two places filled by A1 riders. We closed down the 4min gap to A4's with relative ease so the second part was meh until the gallop. Overall happy with the placing though a little more restrainit and i may have had second.

The FTP test for this morning was abandoned after 20 mins as i wasn't going well in the 5 min clearing effort. This wa ssomewhat expected after discussions with my coach last night who had suggested leaving it till thursday as my HR was elevated in the pre ftp effort yesterday. My sechdule will be easy now till Saturday to hopefully clear the fatigue from the body. Sleep with some foam rolling may help the body recover.

This week i have the Raparee Cup which has been a main target for me all year. It is 10 x 5.2km laps of A3/A4 riders who usually get 2-3 mins start. The result will basically come down to postioning on the last bend so hopefully if i'm in the top 10 i can get a top 5 result which is my aim, i'll be pretty disappointed if i can't get a good result here as besides some residual fatigue from a hard block i'm feeling good.

dahat · 01-06-2019 2:12pm

I've decided to bring the turbo today for my warm up, 75 min race 45 min warm up! It's specific to the race so easier done on a turbo.

At least I'll look like I know what I'm at.

I've been waiting for this race since March so hoping for a good show later

nilhg · 02-06-2019 1:57pm

dahat wrote: »

I've decided to bring the turbo today for my warm up, 75 min race 45 min warm up! It's specific to the race so easier done on a turbo.

At least I'll look like I know what I'm at.

I've been waiting for this race since March so hoping for a good show later

How'd it go?

dahat · 02-06-2019 4:04pm

nilhg wrote: »

How'd it go?

I finished 12th after arriving to the last bend in a good position but I just don't have that big kick on a flat finish. On reflection I'm happy but I was looking for more there.

dahat · 06-06-2019 12:31pm

FTP testing never gets easier

In order to progress with adjusted training zones regular FTP testing is required.When this test is within a "rest week" it takes some of the rest away from rest week! I have had some issues nailing the correct timeline for testing in the days beforehand, load and timing of the test is proving tricky which showed in last weeks failure after 20 mins of the 60min session.

This time round i had a total rest day beforehand and with some good sleep over the last few days i felt good starting out. My targets were 393 avg watts for 12 then push towards 400avg for the remaining.The forst 10 went good and on target but the pain and suffering started to hit soon after which resulted in 2/3 very brief stops but a case of HTFU kicked in to finish the test. End result was 395 avg watts for 20mins and 2 dead legs.
I achieved all time time 5 & 20min power peaks here but i'm disappointed that the brief stops were there, this will be something to work on going forward especially when the golden target 400 + watts for the test. FTP testing is as much mental as physical.

Stats from when i started the log on 01/01

Weight: 99.2kgs
FTP: 330

Current stats 06/06

Weight : 94.0 kgs
FTP : 380

dahat · 10-06-2019 8:22pm

Collins Cycle Centre

In what looked like a medium size field of approx 70 i fancied my chances of a decent showing especially after a good week in which the legs felt good.

The usal flurry of attacks kicked off early with Kanturk the cause of most of them, they had a sizeable team there for the main lad it seemed. Tom Morarity rolled off early so after a few minor attacks i jumped off to try bridge over to see if a break could stick early on. My confidence only increased when another Kanturk lad joined me so we worked to bridge over. After we made it the gap increased to 45 secs with the three of us working well. However the bunch had other ideas and closed us down just at the end of the first lap, my dreams of being away for a race over for another day.

Laps 2 & 3 went by with 4-6 lads getting away but never too far. Lap 3 was were the winner and TM skipped away to bridge to the break then roll past them. The bunch picked up the rest for the gallop but after it seemed promising it all stalled around 2km out. As usual it got tight and messy and after fighting for good position i lost it around 1200 out. This meant i had to sprint past quite a few to make 12th or so for a some what disappointing result.

I'm not sure if i'm expecting too much from these races or if my own eagerness is costing me at then end of a race.This time last year i'd have killed for the results i'm currently gettingso maybe a reality check is in order.

I'm enjoying racing the way i am but it looks like i'll have to adjust tactics to get inside the Top 10 or even a podium result. My next race is 5 weeks away so its back to training blocks with an odd league race for threshold fun!

dahat · 20-06-2019 12:19pm

Intervals & Efforts!!

With no racing again until a nice 3 race block over 2 weeks the training continues. I've been heading towards The Vee midweek as its a steady climb and just stunning this time of year in good weather. After doing various efforts on the climb i have set myself a goal of sub 20min for the climb before season end.The segment is 8.40km @ 3 % with my current best time of 22.51, i have never really gone after a time here so intersting to see how i fare out, possible climb for an FTP test maybe.

Anyone else find the training commitement tough during blocks of no racing?

As for racing the below are next up for me with the calender getting bare for me after that. I may look at races with unsuitable hills just to burn off the legs towards end of season. I still feel pretty okay but racing JNR's up hills isn't ideal it could be a free shot or even a learning experience.

Our own club league hasn't been confrmed yet so hoping this goes ahead as it is usually good fun and hard racing over two circuits.

Confirmed

Tipp Wheelers GP July 14th
Shannonside GP July 20th - won my A4 here, old course finish suits me
Silver Pail GP July 21st placed 4th as an A4 here, ramp finish here suits me
Club Rothaiochta Na Sionainne Classic August 11th - no clue of the course here

Possibles

Ras Cill Mocheallog - Lumpy!!!
2019 Cycling Ireland Masters & A3 Road Race Championships - license has M40 not senior A3 so i'm ****ed here but its season end so why not.
19th Annual Charleville 2 Day - unsure here as it's a two day commitment with accomondation ,planning etc. I've never done a 2 day so it appeals on that level.

CramCycle · 20-06-2019 1:15pm

Done the Charleville 2 day a few years ago with very little experience under my belt and it was great craic and highly recommended. Just do it.

dahat · 20-06-2019 1:38pm

CramCycle wrote: »

Done the Charleville 2 day a few years ago with very little experience under my belt and it was great craic and highly recommended. Just do it.

Is it a non aero TT?

CramCycle · 20-06-2019 3:22pm

dahat wrote: »

Is it a non aero TT?

I had clip on aero bars, so I presume you could have aero bikes. All the A4s were off together so I didn't notice any aero rigs

dahat · 20-06-2019 4:51pm

CramCycle wrote: »

I had clip on aero bars, so I presume you could have aero bikes. All the A4s were off together so I didn't notice any aero rigs

Haven't got an aero rig so as it's short I'd be going all roadie TT!!

I'll be looking into the event as it's last event bar Masters if I go there. Accommodation likely a premium at that time so booking early would be essential.

dahat · 21-06-2019 12:33pm

Charleville 2 day is confirmed, family pass for the weekend & accomadation booked though hardly the Ritz it will do.

As it's 4 for a team i'll be an indivdual entry unless someone wants to sign me up for the weekend!!!!

dahat · 09-07-2019 2:52pm

And the block nears an end...

What has felt like a never ending block nears an end this week, the ftp test in the block yielded a 5 watt negative difference but it was my first road test so ill cut myself a break there. One postive was a cracking effort on the chosen climb (The Vee) ,18mins from Goatenbridge turn to the summit, fastest recorded time on that segment this year.

My next raciing block has Golden this Sunday then Shannonside GP & Silver Pail in Fermoy the next weekend, i've raced well in all these before so fingers crossed for at least one good result. Racing on consecutive days will be new to me and add the long journey to Athlone i'll need to be well rested that night.

After those races then it's all systems go for Charleville with anything in between just training races as such though the calender doesn't hold anything that appeals anyway.

dahat · 15-07-2019 8:30am

Tipp Wheelers GP

I'd been looking forward to this & my next two races as most who read this will know. However two sessions midweek dented the confidence as two partially completed Z6 workouts left me wondering if the legs and body were done for the year ( been at it since September). My coach rowed in and reassusred me as best he could that the body was good just maybe the combo of heat & turbo may have contributed to the two failures. I had all my back wheels in for maintenace so no option but the turbo for these.

Yesterday brought the sun out for the race so i wondered if vast numbers would arrive given the weather, anything under 80 would be fine but 100 plus would be tricky to negoitate on the narrow sections. The body had come round somewhat after the midweek horror as Saturdays pre race efforts offered some encouragement so hope had returned!

A 3 lap 75km affair offered early attacks by plenty but none stuck as expected. My orders were to sit in and conserve for the final lap but on lap 2 a small break went with McGarry in it so i tried to bridge over but couldnt get there so i was left in no mans land until i sat up for the bunch. The race although trucking along according to avg speed felt a little flat with very few serious attacks that even had half a chance of sticking. A 75km race at 100km pace meant the legs were only coming round at 50 km for me so lap 3 was crucial as i knew there was a chance of a good result here the way things were going, this was heightened more when all breaks were caught and everyone knew a sprint finish was likely.

The run in in 2km and pretty flast bar a little ramp at 200m out which was my go point if plan A failed. There was a few lads that went at 2km to go and the bunch left them go but when McGarry went i knew he was going for the win but i hesitated and he was gone, zipping through the dead lads to catch the last two where he sat. Plan A was to go 1km out and hang on if could so i went a little earlier & flew by the dead lads, a brief look saw me have maybe 15 yards on the bunch, no chance so balls out i went to catch the three ahead. For a brief moment in time i looked like getting on so i decided to go by if i did to try catch them napping...... bang, McGarry pulled the trigger, the 3 man sprint was on and i wasn't getting there!!!! The focus now is to hold off the bunch but the legs gave out 10 yards from the line and i ended up 7th overall which is a good result but 4th would have been better!

All in all a season best placing so hopefully next weekend goes even better.

Just to note the winner in a serious prospect, he has won two A3 races as a 16 year old, seems a very nice lad as well.

CramCycle · 15-07-2019 10:04am

Well done, a great finish and read.

dahat wrote: »

All in all a season best placing so hopefully next weekend goes even better.

Where are you next weekend?

dahat · 15-07-2019 10:16am

CramCycle wrote: »

Well done, a great finish and read. Where are you next weekend?

Shannonside GP Saturday then Fermoy on Sunday, I've gone well on both courses as an A4 previously.

My own custom 2 day!!!

dahat · 18-07-2019 5:14pm

My rear Cosmic gone for repair so racing this weekend on 2 flat course with non deep rim wheels.

It may or may not make any difference but always nicer to have the deep rims.

Anyway body feels good for this weeks races and confidence is sky high after last week.

dahat · 22-07-2019 2:31pm

Shannonside GP

As i won my A4 here i had high hopes but on arrival i found out the finish had changed to a pan flat sprint which was disappointing. Lesso earned here though, check all details before commiting to a 5hr round trip.

Race itself had around 70 in a field that look slightly below average whch gave me encouragement. The course didnt seem like it qould be breakaway type of day so while active at the front i tried to concserve for the gallop but a late move saw 4 skip away which i missed so all the bunch had left was minor placings. The finish had a stiff headwind and after a stong lad went i took his wheel but he died 500 out so left in the wind i had to go which ended pretty quickly soon after, in the interests of sfety etc i pulled to the side and left the rest sort it out.

The wheel i took ended up winning an A3 race the next day, why not today i wondered????

Fermoy GP

Finish here is perfect for me, long fast run into a drag tha tlevels out for the last 100m so again hopes were high.

This is the forst time time i've raced on consecutive days so the legs were a concern but that was forgotten quickly when the felt super fresh early on. The usual flurry of attacks early saw a break go with around 10 lads that built up a 30/40 sec gap that a few got together to pull it back including myself. After this i reckoned nothing more would stick so sat back to conserve for the finish but another move went that stayed away, we got to in around 10 secs but everyone sat up and assumed we would get them for the gallop at the end of the lap but the bunch stopped working or most didn't want to if i'm being honest. Team mates of those in the break did a good job of killing jump off's to get across over the course of the breakaway and while this is racing clubs having multiple jnrs there blocking attacks surely isn't the correct way to teach them?The inevitable gallop for 70th place happened which led to a guy coming down in the riduclous sprint, i think he has crashed in a sprint before so he is a wheel to avoid for sure.

Observations
A3 bunches are lazy & full of A4 mentailty, wait for the sprint by default. A limited few have interest in bringing breaks back while the rest just sit & hog wheels of those who try to bridge across.

The A3/JNR group should be split, the good ones should be bumped earlier as 90 pts is far too high a target to reach, the normal A3 racer is just being used as cannon fodder for training these young lads. To add insult to injury yet naother A3/JNR race goes to an U16 rider with special permission to ride these races.

What happens when/if a young rider is involved in a srious crash someday? Surely this cannot continue to be allowed.

I need to learn to be more race aware as two races got away from me recently due to lapses in concentration and/or doing too much on earlier breaks. It's getting annoying missing winning moves.

All that is left for me is Shannon on Aug 11th then CHarleville 2 day which is a free hit really. Shannon is my only chance left of a race win this year.

dahat · 09-08-2019 10:51am

Slowly grinding to a halt...

In what seems like a season that has gone on forever i've now reached the last period, Shannon on Sunday then Charleville in September. I had originally planned to race the Masters in Gorey but as i'm M40 the filed will be brimming with A1/A2 talent so it's a pass.

Club Rothaiochta Na Sionainne Classic

I like this course as it has a ramp finish similar to Fermoy, it should present a decent oppurtunity all going well. However it is a combined A2/A3 filed so the approach will be different, the plan i think will be to follow wheels for as long as possible and try to avoid blowing up chasing or trying to force a break. One would imagine the A2 lads will try crack us so i will have to be tactically aware and assess the filed better than in previous races. My aim here is a top 10 finish so fingers crossed.

Charleville will be new for me and rather than race it solo i'm guesting for another team which should be fun. Having back up, team & mechanical should take pressure off in what is a stressful weekend. It normal attracts large fields so hopefully all goes well, more on Charleville nearer the time.

joey100 · 27-08-2019 9:31am

how's the training going for Charleville? Heading down to the A4 races there myself, looks like a great weekend of racing.

dahat · 28-08-2019 2:50pm

joey100 wrote: »

how's the training going for Charleville? Heading down to the A4 races there myself, looks like a great weekend of racing.

Good stuff, looks good but sure all races do beforehand!!! The weekend presents a good chance for A4 riders to collect upgrade points, it never seems to populate as much as the A2/A3 race.

Best of luck & hope you get some good results over the 2 days.

dahat · 28-08-2019 3:15pm

CRNS CLassic

This was a race i had targeted for some weeks due to the final, nice uphill dig that suits power riders.

The race was listed as A2/A3 which had changed from previous years and as expected a huge crowd turned up on a good day. The rumored count was 115-125 riders which worried most as its a fast course but narrow in places and within 5km the worst happened, a rider collided with a parked car taking out himself & 15 plus riders. The sound of the pile up was horrific and i was glad to somehow get through unscathed. As there was only one ambulance the inevitable happened, race abandoned after a short neutralized roll back to the start. It was unclear how badly injured riders were at this point but gladly word came back that although some nasty knocks all were relatively okay.

Two points from the race

1)The comms should have handicapped the race which would have shed a few from each grade.
2) Riders really need to start observing rules of the road as much as possible with particular care taken on the white line rule. Thats twice this year an incident like this has resulted in race abandonment & the awful tragedy in Wexford. A small group of riders caused this incident which could have avoided by due care & attention.

All roads to Charleville

Racing has been sparse for me recently so block after block with Charleville & M40 Nationals in mind. There was period in which i thought my legs were gone for the year after a failed ftp & a couple of disaster VO2 sessions. All credit to my coach though he picked me up with some plan adjustments to freshen me up. A little break in Killarney helped and a nice 4hr spin around some quiet roads really cleared the mind for the period ahead.
I will be guesting on a team for the event and hope i can help the tram get a decent result over the weekend. My own personal aims are to finish the event with stage 1 my best chance of a result. The time trial i'll do on my road bike cos i aint got no TT bike!!! I'll likely just try hit 500 plus watts for the duration and see if that will help me avoid the lantern rouge!!

Season high watts

After a failed ftp my most recent one was done last week. I've done 2 of the last 3 outdoors so did this outdoors again. I was pretty confident of a decent test and when i felt good 10mins in i knew today was the day to get the magic 400 watt avg. The next 10mins were tough and the last 3 horrific but got there albeit in a proper heap for 400 watt avg.
This gave me lifetime best figures for 10 & 20 min power with the 5 min clearing effort giving an all time high, happy days!!

Starting Stats:
Weight: 99.2kgs
FTP: 330

Current Stats:
Weight: 94kgs
FTP:388

The National M40 is where i'll finish the season, far beyond my current level but i'll follow wheels and see if i can survive the race for a top 20 finish.

Seadin · 06-09-2019 9:23am

dahat wrote: »

CRNS CLassic

This was a race i had targeted for some weeks due to the final, nice uphill dig that suits power riders.

The race was listed as A2/A3 which had changed from previous years and as expected a huge crowd turned up on a good day. The rumored count was 115-125 riders which worried most as its a fast course but narrow in places and within 5km the worst happened, a rider collided with a parked car taking out himself & 15 plus riders. The sound of the pile up was horrific and i was glad to somehow get through unscathed. As there was only one ambulance the inevitable happened, race abandoned after a short neutralized roll back to the start. It was unclear how badly injured riders were at this point but gladly word came back that although some nasty knocks all were relatively okay.

Two points from the race

1)The comms should have handicapped the race which would have shed a few from each grade.
2) Riders really need to start observing rules of the road as much as possible with particular care taken on the white line rule. Thats twice this year an incident like this has resulted in race abandonment & the awful tragedy in Wexford. A small group of riders caused this incident which could have avoided by due care & attention.

All roads to Charleville

Racing has been sparse for me recently so block after block with Charleville & M40 Nationals in mind. There was period in which i thought my legs were gone for the year after a failed ftp & a couple of disaster VO2 sessions. All credit to my coach though he picked me up with some plan adjustments to freshen me up. A little break in Killarney helped and a nice 4hr spin around some quiet roads really cleared the mind for the period ahead.
I will be guesting on a team for the event and hope i can help the tram get a decent result over the weekend. My own personal aims are to finish the event with stage 1 my best chance of a result. The time trial i'll do on my road bike cos i aint got no TT bike!!! I'll likely just try hit 500 plus watts for the duration and see if that will help me avoid the lantern rouge!!

Season high watts

After a failed ftp my most recent one was done last week. I've done 2 of the last 3 outdoors so did this outdoors again. I was pretty confident of a decent test and when i felt good 10mins in i knew today was the day to get the magic 400 watt avg. The next 10mins were tough and the last 3 horrific but got there albeit in a proper heap for 400 watt avg.
This gave me lifetime best figures for 10 & 20 min power with the 5 min clearing effort giving an all time high, happy days!!

Starting Stats:
Weight: 99.2kgs
FTP: 330

Current Stats:
Weight: 94kgs
FTP:388

The National M40 is where i'll finish the season, far beyond my current level but i'll follow wheels and see if i can survive the race for a top 20 finish.

Its great to see you are increasing your ftp since start of season. Well done. You have more than enough power there to win an A3 race. You be able to hold your own in an A1/A2 race with that ftp never mind an A3 race.

IMO you might be better off trying to improve your race craft and tactics from now on and making sure you get on the right breaks in a race when they do go. Sometimes you can have all the power in the world but if not clued into the race, or not race smart, you won't win. The most powerful rider doesnt always win the race its the rider whos smart and crosses the line first is the winner. Sharpen up with race tactics and you will do even better i have no doubt. You have the commitment and that's great to see.

Best of luck.

dahat · 06-09-2019 12:26pm

Seadin wrote: »

Its great to see you are increasing your ftp since start of season. Well done. You have more than enough power there to win an A3 race. You be able to hold your own in an A1/A2 race with that ftp never mind an A3 race.

IMO you might be better off trying to improve your race craft and tactics from now on and making sure you get on the right breaks in a race when they do go. Sometimes you can have all the power in the world but if not clued into the race, or not race smart, you won't win. The most powerful rider doesnt always win the race its the rider whos smart and crosses the line first is the winner. Sharpen up with race tactics and you will do even better i have no doubt. You have the commitment and that's great to see.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the kind words.

I have a few areas for improvement to target alright. This was my first year being at the pointy end of A3 so hoping to upgrade next year all going well.

The C2D will test my race craft this weekend with 159 of us in the A2/A3 race. Being honest it's a i'm a little nervous but hoping that about 100 get shelled at some point over the forst 70km of stage 1!!!

Seadin · 06-09-2019 5:03pm

dahat wrote: »

Thanks for the kind words.

I have a few areas for improvement to target alright. This was my first year being at the pointy end of A3 so hoping to upgrade next year all going well.

The C2D will test my race craft this weekend with 159 of us in the A2/A3 race. Being honest it's a i'm a little nervous but hoping that about 100 get shelled at some point over the forst 70km of stage 1!!!

Day 1 is flat stage. Day 2 has the TT which is short about 6km. The 2nd stage there is a climb near ballyhoara be up near the front for that as thats where the breaks will go. It will split there so be up near the top 10 in the bunch and hang on.

dahat · 06-09-2019 6:52pm

Seadin wrote: »

Day 1 is flat stage. Day 2 has the TT which is short about 6km. The 2nd stage there is a climb near ballyhoara be up near the front for that as thats where the breaks will go. It will split there so be up near the top 10 in the bunch and hang on.

TT is non event as I'll be on the road bike.
Stage 2 should be fun as I quite like climbing but physique stops me doing well.
Stage 1 I hope to do well in but I must remember that this is a field of strong A2 riders as well.

It's my first stage event so it's a learning curve really.

dahat · 09-09-2019 1:54pm

Charleville 2 Day

Stage 1

Sheer numbers had me a little anxious here with 159 registered beforehand as its a flatish stage on narrow roads. Straight from the get go the pace was high and i was little anxious as i'd never raced in these numbers with no recent race my legs were hanging off pretty early on. I ended up too far back because of this but was nevewr in danger of being dropped so after the first lap or so i started to feel a little more comfortable but unable to make my way forward to be near the pointy end. Eventually on the third lap i got near the pointy end but there was a break up the road and the work wa sleft to Lucan to pull this back for John Priest. At 5km to go i had a real nic spot but a brief hesitation meant it was gone just as quick so just rolled in with the main bunch feeling happy & fresh after the body eventually woke up.The break hung on and our group came in 36 secs down on GC.

Headed home for a nights sleep feeling good with the TT & hill stage to come.

Stage 2

The TT is a flat 6.3 km which if i had bothered to organise a TT bike i would have cracked a decent time in hindsight. The road bike had no clip on bars so it was just brute power to get the best possible time.

6.3km @ 40.7 avg & 398 avg watts or 4.2 ish watts/kg gave me a time of 9.01. The team i was guesting on reckoned i'd have taken another 20-30 secs off that with a TT bike. That will be something to work on for next year as a sub 8.30 is well within reach for me i reckon.
9.01 was 58/125 which wasn't so bad though i suspect at least 30 lads just rode down the raod to preserve effort for the later stage.

Stage 3

This stage i was warned off and honestly i was pretty nervy beforehand as i'm no climber though i can survive well once not at the front. I was determined not to be so far back early doors here so made every effort to be further up even though it was as normal full gas from the get go. In a blink of an eye we were 40km in with the legs feeling okay. Soon we met the turn for Ballyhoura for the main climb which felt okay early on but it soon split so my effort was being managed to get to the top. I settled in a good group that crested together then on the descent i was dropped as i'd never been down there. I had been advised that if i was dropped a good TT effort should get me back on after it. I made up that distance to my group, settled in then the group set about getting back to the main bunch. The junction was made after the final big TT effort for 1km by myself so settled in once again waiting for the second lap.

At the start of the second time up i was told everyone was still together but i had my doubts. The group slowly spilt on the climb again but this time my effort was all about survival. About halfway up i started to feel some faint hints of cramp which wasn't ideal so dropped to the small ring to try ease them out before it got worse. In what seemed like an age we got to the top in a small group but as expected the bunch was well gone so now it was just a full gas chase to the line. The cramps were like a dull headache but as we went on the chase the y got worse so had to mange efforts and miss turns to survive, our group had a few strong A2 there so it was a soft pace. We rode strong in between cars & traffic, taking risks at times but we were determined to finsh well. The group seemed to have a sprint so i pulled out to open up but my right leg near locked up with cramp and so my race was done.

The aftermath of the cramp was horrific, it hurt badly for ages with legs muscles almost seizing up, body shakes the whole lot!! I was empty of fluid and fuel it seems. As the racing had been full gas i had neglected to drink my bottles so this was my punishment. Eventually after some coke, jelly babies,a litre of electrolytes they subsided. Lessons learned for the Nationals next week so need to organise a bottle carrier at the feed zone somehow.

The end classification for me was 43rd down 2m 57 on GC, i'd have been chuffed with this beforehand, overall a very good weekend.

Stuff i learned at C2D 2019:

Kanturk have riders over the age of 18.
I can TT pretty good so need to get a basic TT set up.
My climbing is decent especially when using a 28 block.
It's nice to be nice when riders are suffering around you but talking to them isn't apparently.
Consume more fluids to avoid cramps.
Tea & sandwiches for riders are frowned upon by race organisers.
Chasing on between cars is exciting & scary as **** especially downhill.
I also need a prep race beforehand next year.

Thanks to Cram Cycle for the push on here to enter the event & to the team mates over the weekend, made feel welcome as a guest in their team.

Roll on C2D 2020!!!!

dahat · 11-09-2019 12:25pm

Old & sore

After last weekends racing i am pretty damn sore & stiff to the point i was considering if racing Nationals was the right idea. The cramps caused some issues that need nursing through foam rolling & stretching.The workouts sechduled for this week have been modified to reflect my state so it's an easy run to Sunday to allow the body recover from Charleville.

Nationals looks a daunting race for an M40 A3 but i'll go there with the aim to stick on wheels to last as long as possible with the bunch. I won't nake the same fuel & hydration mistakes as last week though i've no one to get a bottle off from a car or at the feed zone. My goal is a top 20 finish but bunch finish would be a satisfactory given my improvement from 2018 to 2019.

dahat · 16-09-2019 3:37pm

M40 Nationals

This event was never my plan but after encouragement from my coach i decided to undertake this huge event. I was extremely nervous beforehand as the filed was pretty heavy with A1 & A2 riders of a far higher level than me. The mind knew there was a long day ahead in the saddle.

The first 35km were hell, too far back due to the pace which meant i was close to being shelled on each drag. Effort was high to maintain contact with the bunch though 20 or so riders weren't so lucky,average speed to this stage as near 43km/hr. The thoughts of a 4hr round trip for 35km drove me to hang on for dear life.
Laps 3-4 were slightly easier but still max effort until i moved a little further up once my legs came round, confidence that i could last the full distance was increasing now, a lowly A3 hanging on with strong A1 & A2 riders over a challenging stuff, mad craic.

Last lap was mental, break caught, legs good, lets try for a medal here sham....pace high, lads mad for a galllop,jumping all over the road, unreal stuff. I had a geat postion 4 km out but a crash distracted me so lost it so had to fly up the last hill to try get a decent finishing position, just outside the top 20 which i felt was a savage result for me.

135km @ 41.4 avg & 1360m of up.

dahat · 16-09-2019 4:26pm

And that's a wrap here for A3 2019, a highly successful year even without a race win. Most of my goals and objectives achieved so I'll have to set new ones for for next season.

Time now to rest & recharge for 2 weeks with the aim of A2 2020 as the primary objective.

A3 2019

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