The Plan
After spending the week in China, I was not keen on racing. A couple of good rides the day before on Zwift had me wanting to test my legs in the real world.
The Race – 47.2kms / 36.7kph
Race Recollection
I rolled easily out of the car park and gaped the bunch so took it easy until we were all together. MM then hooned off on the first descent followed by AT-A. I gave chase and we established a short lived 50m gap. For most of this lap I lead. I tended to spin up the climbs and appeared not to have any trouble.
On the downhill which forms the start of the final drag, MM took off again for a short lived break.
MM, A-TA and a rider in black seemed the only ones keen on getting in front of me.
Towards the end of lap 2, MM took off on his own. The rider in black tried to bridge and almost made the catch (2 seconds) as he entered the turn that leads to Churchill. I gave chase and bridged by which time MM has increased his lead to about 15 seconds. The rest of the bunch were stuck to me like glue.
On lap 3, I had some attempts at solo bridging, but they came to naught. RM got to the front once or twice and was encouraging me to bridge. I said I had another lap to do that. In the end, I decided to let the bunch do that as I’d been on the front for a least a lap and there were eight of us. I’d done my share.
Up the climb headed towards the old Hazelwood power plant, the bunch gained on MM and we had caught him by the final bend, about 7 minutes out from the finish. From there, JP started to get a bit frisky. With his recent wins, I decided to stay close to him. About five minutes out, I was on the front again. Some small attacks by MM and JP happened far too far out. With about 500m to go I hit the gas and with 200m to go, thought I may have gone early. No one was gaining on me until about 50 to go when GT tried to get over the top of me. I held him off and took the win.
Not bad for a week in China and three Zwift rides for the week. A Grade for me?
According to the Video
Lap 1: Heading out of the carpark, I was in the lead and I gapped the field. Due to that I took things easy so the bunch could catch up. They did this by the entry to Switchback Road where MM lead from AT-A.
AT-A was the first to hoon off and I chased. This gapped the field by a few seconds. By the time the race had ridden 1.4kms, the bunch was together and I was leading. I stayed in this position until 4.67km mark. During this time, I was worried my harder than normal hill climb (320-340w) would be burning too many matches.
MM was took the lead after my stint. Soon after I was leading again, so it was back my sit on the front racing style. At the 5.7km mark, S&J got on the front. Behind me as AM. At the 6.3km mark, again I was on the front. Leading into Brodribb Road, my front wheel hit a few stones making the ride a bit sketchy.
As I lead past the power station, AM and AT-A were next in line.
Up the climb into Yinnar Road at the 8.4km mark, AM picked up the pace. I joined him and we gapped the field. At this point in the race I’d been on the front for about 7kms, more than 1/8 of the race. I could now aim for a win and not feel like a mongrel.
Once I realised we had a break, I put in some extra effort to do turns. This was at about the same time that the bunch decided it would not be wise to let us get away so that was short lived. Once we were caught, MM took the lead. He is riding well, I thought.
Up the little rise after the downhill, it was S&J, AM, MM, me, GT, JP, RM and the rest.
At the 10.7km mark, a farming tractor passed us. I remember thinking that was new as normally when a farming tractor is on the road, we are the ones to pass.
With 11kms covered, I hit the front for a short stint before GT took over. Next in line was MM.
Lap 2: GT lead into lap 2 followed by me and MM. I took the lead shortly after we entered Switchback Road and not long after that in an against form move, RM took the lead. I was back on the front after a few minutes. About halfway along Switchback Road, MM swung off my tail and RM attacked. I let him ride away. AT-A was not so keen and bridged. The two established a 50ish metre lead at the 14.2km mark. I upped the power a little and wound up in no mans’s land. Just as I caught RM and AT-A at the 14.8km mark (AM flew past us, having begun a counter move about 100m ago. Though a little stretched out, the bunch was together as we entered Nadenbouschs Road for the “hilly” section of the race. AM, me, GT and AT-A established a sizable break up the climb and this lasted for about 300m.
Heading towards Brodribb Road, things settled down and before long, RM had hit the lead again. We established a gap as JP let us get away. I counter moved about 500m away from the turn into Brodribb Road and by the time I hit the intersection, AT-A with me had joined me. The bunch was about 200m in arrears here. We swapped turns up and over the climb past the Hazelwood Cemetery and into Yinnar Road.
Cresting the hill at the 20.5km mark, MM passed us and then rode away. I was expecting him to be an easy catch so let him go. MM’s break was to be the longest lived for the day.
Halfway down the hill the rest of us were all together. ATA and AM were eager to chase so hit the lead, followed by me though before long, I was on the front again. At this point, the lowest down my race position had gone was third.
AM lead us up the rise onto the flat bit of Yinnar Road. I was followed by AT-A. JP was next. AT-A hit the front was about to lead us over the line into the third lap. This was not to be when AM launched a bridging attack 200m out (the 23.1 mark) and had a 50m gap on the bunch by the line.
Lap 3: Right after the line, I hit the front and increased my power output a little.
AM looked like he was going to catch MM shortly after entering Switchback Road. He’s closed a sizable gap down to about 10m and was 200m ahead of the chasing bunch.
I launched a slow TT style bridging attack down the hill at 330-350W. AT-A was on my when and JP on his with the rest of the riders in single file. Eventually I made the AM catch at the 25.6km mark. MM by this point was a long way in front.
AT-A made a counter move up a little rise opening a short lived 2 rider gap. JP brought the bunch back to us. From the 26.5km to 27.4km mark I sat on the front at a moderate tempo wattage. Up the climb along Nadenbouschs Road AT-A lead followed by RM. JP edged in front of me about half way up. GT sat on my wheel.
The pace slacked over the crest and we had an easy roll down towards Brodribb Road. Here AT-A lead from RM.
This time through the intersection, I encountered no loose gravel / large stones. As we rode past the decommissioned power station, RM was encouraging me to have a go at bridging. I replied that I had another lap to do that. Recent races have shown that any attacks I make tend to be checked by the bunch as I’m capable of getting staying away on a good day. This makes me less likely to attack if I’m going to spend a power match for no good reason.
AT-A lead us into the climb shortly after which I took the lead only have it re taken by AT-A who lead us into Yinnar Road.
I got back on the front at the 33.8km mark and resumed some tempo riding. Behind me, some faces were beginning to look pained. After a km, AT-A was back on the front and I was having a rest in second.
34.4kms into it, I was back in the chase lead. AT-A lead us into the bell lap followed by JP, me, RM and GT.
Lap 4: 12kms to go and I was feeling fine. By about here I was happy to let MM win and was going to let everyone else bring him back if they wanted to catch him.
On the downhill into xx, I attacked at the 36km mark. AM was right on my when. I lasted until the 36.4km mark when my legs started to tell me to bugger off, so I eased up and settled into take it easy mode. I really need to work on threshold training and perhaps whack in weights twice a week.
Despite the state of my legs, I remained the front. A rider not see before now in the race, S&J cycles kit, was on my when now. When he eased up, I rode away from the bunch a little. GT reformed us and then hit the lead. He was followed by AM, AT-A and JP. The pace then settled down. At this point I figured out there were 8 in the chase bunch, making 9 in the race. This meant I’d done even more than my 1/8 share of the work.
Immediately after entering Nadenbouschs Road, I hit the gas. All this did was string the bunch out and wear my legs out. I was soon swamped as the other riders had collectively decided to catch MM. AM hit the gas up the climb which resulted in a big increase in pace. Here the video shows one rider doing no work did not have a number, so he must have been an observer.
The bunch made a big dint into MM’s lead by the time they crested the climb. Before this, I’d been gapped and the only rider behind me was a gapped RM (who had been leading the charge). I gave chase and passed AT-A and worked on closing the 30m gap. That appears to have been done without much difficulty. Probably as MM was quickly being caught so the bunch eased up. At the 40.4km mark, the chasing bunch (of now officially 7) was all together.
AT-A attacked from the back at the 41.1km mark and the bunch responded immediately. As we entered Brodribb Road I was the second last rider on the road and was gapped a little (maybe 10m). That was easy to close. Heading past the power station, MM’s break was down to 50m.
At the 43.9km mark, we’d caught MM. His break lasted 23.4kms and at one point, he was 40 seconds ahead of us. The final gap was closed quickly as JP picked up the pace. He was followed closely by AM and me. Over the crest, AM took the lead for as long as it took me to pass him.
Around about now, riders appear to be looking at each other and thinking about the sprint. IN the midst of this, MM attacked and gapped the field a little. Nice one after his break.
JP was having none of that and closed it down. With 2kms to go, small gaps were appearing in the bunch. They would open and the close as the pace went up and down.
At around the 46km mark, RM moved up on the dirt on the inside and took the lead. This has the effect of stringing out the bunch an opening it up to my right. Up until here, I was thinking I might have been boxed in. JP then made a move at 46.5kms. I was thinking that was way too early. AM and MM jumped on his wheel and I followed. 100m later JP was done and I counter moved. I quickly established a gap that was just as quickly closed by GT an nobody else. He then sat on my wheel for 300m before attempting to get over the top of me. At the line, I was still ahead. Third and fourth place came over the line three seconds later. AM was third and MM forth.
Official Results
1st Paul Yeatman, 2nd George Tambassis, 3rd Anthony Magaldi, 4th Mark Mason.
Summary
20181104 Race Data
Today’s race was about 1kph faster than the last time I did this course (admitted, the conditions were pretty bad that day) and the the power figures reflect this by indicating ever so slightly lower readings. I am always pleased when I do a lot of work in a race and still manage to get over the line first. This probably means I am very close to getting back into A grade…just in time for the next race here in three weeks.
Thanks to my sponsor, Drouin Cycles, Performance Division.
Stats for the Day
Power Stats
Average pwr: 229W
Normalised Power: 277W (97% FTP)
Critical power (CP): 230W (3.47W/kg – 97% FTP)
Intensity Factor: 0.97 (yeah, yeah, time for an FTP test)
TSS: 120.1
TRIMP: 123.4
This time I’m experimenting with split screen rather than PIP. Despite some positioning glitches, I think this works out better than then PIP. It certainly provides a better view of the rear camera and being able to display ride metrics off the video, seems an improvement.