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SCU 12 hour time trial
Over the winter of 2000 / 2001 I had decided to focus
training so as to make 25 mile time trials my main objective in the coming
summer, with a view to knocking a few minutes off my PB, while at the same time
putting in a few useful 10 times on a Tuesday. However, despite a fortnight's
high quality training with Alasdair and Malcolm in Majorca in March, things did
not go quite to plan! A severe viral or flu-type illness which developed shortly
after the training camp laid me low for many weeks (it is suggested that the
packed flights to and from holiday destinations carry a risk of infection,
especially on the return when hard training early in the season may have
suppressed immunity to infection see later article). It was not until the
weekend of the 26-27 May that my form recovered with marginal PBs at 10 and 25,
some 6 weeks after Majorca.
However, every cloud has a silver lining and I had learnt
a couple of important things from the training camp.
Firstly, recovering properly after tough efforts and so
protecting the immune system and stabilising the body in preparation for the
next race is critical, especially for older riders like myself who simply
take longer to recover. Recovery time can as I understand it be
shortened, even for older riders, if they have the time and means to maintain a
very high level of fitness but in my case I am not normally able to spend more
than about 8 hours a week on the bike, therefore all I can do is to try and make
the best use of that time. The training camp, despite being extremely enjoyable,
probably took more out of my body than I had expected. Many riders report
similar problems after these camps the sunshine, warmth and motivation of
riding in groups create an acute sense of well-being and off you go.
Secondly, and more significantly as far as this article is
concerned, I quickly developed an aptitude for pacing myself economically during
demanding circumstances such as riding up long hills. The longest climbs
ascended some 3000 feet over 5 or 6 miles, and a measured but deliberate effort
is required to reach the top without falling by the wayside.
After falling ill again with a heavy cold in early June,
and another lay-off, it looked increasingly unlikely that my form in the shorter
time trials would peak to give me any good PBs without a much greater effort on
my part but with family and work constraints this was not feasible at this
stage of the summer. However after some almost enjoyable and seemingly
effortless long rides in June I decided that perhaps long distance races
requiring less intense effort might be a better option for the rest of the
season, so I entered the forthcoming SCU 50 on 24th June, and then
the NOSCA 100 the Sunday after on 1st July, both on Invergordon
courses. I still retained the option of not starting in the 100 if I didnt
feel right I did in fact feel quite afraid of failing at this unknown
distance, remembering last years race when riders struggled in windy conditions.
Although I had cycled over 100 miles on several occasions, that had largely been
at my own chosen pace.
As it happened I turned in a decent 50 time, so I felt a
bit easier about the 100 the following week. This required a bit more
preparation and as support was not available to me on that day I carried three
750ml bottles of Techno-fuel, two in a triathlon-style carrier behind the seat
kindly lent to me by Malcolm. This proved to be very convenient, it was easy to
swop bottles to the down tube, and with minimal drag. The extra weight some 31/4
pounds is probably not very significant in an endurance time trial on
this flat course. I drank the last drop at 99 miles, and throughout the race ate
2 bananas and 3 energy bars, consuming 260g carbohydrate and 2.25 litres of
water (almost 4 pints) in total. I was, however, very stiff on completion and it
was over an hour before I could straighten up properly. I had no aches and pains
after this to speak of though. My time of 4:52:18 was pleasing, and I had
bettered my target of 5 hours / 20 mph.
So what now? The only logical target, if I were to have a
new one at all this year, was the SCU 12 hour championship 6 weeks later a
possible medal if I completed the race, and likely inclusion in the SCU Senior
BAR (Best All Rounder) list completion of the 25, 50 and 100 mile time trials
already ensures an entry in the Middle Distance BAR as published in the annually
produced SCU Championship and National Series Results booklet. Its probably the
only way an old-timer like myself will get an entry! I make no apologies for
promoting such indicators of our achievements; although I started cycle racing
primarily for fitness, I do find that motivation comes from reaching such
targets, whether it be a PB, a very long ride, the end-to-end or whatever.
Targets in life are important and can give day-to-day activities more meaning.
Preparation for the 12 hour required much more thought
than for the 100. Web searches threw up several good articles by riders who
had actually undergone these races, in particular I found the
MSF Online
and Lewes Wanderer's CC
websites very useful. The former contains a method for working out how to pace
the race, that I decided to try. This involves:-
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Predicting your likely 12-hour distance from a
previous100 or 50 time. For me, this turned out to be about 220 miles.
This also tallied approximately with riders of similar ability to myself
listed in the SCU BAR table of times and distances. This estimate can be
tested and refined without riding a full 12 hour ride, and the MSF article
shows you how. Some knowledge of the course also allows adjustment of the
estimate whether flat, undulating, exposed etc.
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Devising a schedule for the 12. Patience is definitely
a virtue by all accounts first-timers tend to go too fast too soon, and pay
later on. A constant effort rather than constant speed is preferable; heart
rate staying fairly constant throughout, as speed almost certainly will
decrease. The recommended method is to calculate an average 25 mile time from
the estimated distance in my case, at 220 miles for 12 hours this gives a 25
of 1:22:00. Now make this your middle 25 (i.e. from 100 to 125 miles) and
subtract 1 minute from each of the first 4 25s backwards in turn,
similarly adding 1 minute to each of the subsequent ones. For me this
meant a target starting / finishing speed of 18.7/17.1 mph respectively an
overall average of 18.1 mph. In the event, I actually averaged 18.0 mph, but
due to the windy conditions speed varied widely according to the wind
direction. Nevertheless, I had certainly taken on board the need to set off
slowly, and this helped me get through the 12 hours. Not least, you can keep a
check on average speed as you go along I carried a waterproof card that
among other things told me what my average speed should be at any point of the
race, given my 220 mile target this is strongly recommended as an aid to
motivation. (see actual schedule, attached).
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The weather can play havoc with your schedules. The
actual race on 19th August saw incessant rain and moderate winds.
Muscles were cold, and tired legs weakened further on windward legs. The 30
mile leg up to Portmahomack and back to the A9 was taken out due to flooding,
so my milepost schedule was useless after that point. Whilst I still had my
average speed to check on (even with windy conditions this become an
increasingly valid indicator as the race proceeds and wind effect balances
speed variations). I had also done some calculations of likely heart rate,
loosely based on comparisons with others in the various articles, but more so
on self-tests during long rides and in the 100. I had concluded that a heart
rate of 138 should be sustainable for 12 hours. I regretted that average heart
rate was not featured on my computer, but regular checks throughout the race
would put me right surely? It was of use for the first few hours, however
having turned into the wind at 5 hours and 100 miles I started to struggle as
I passed south on the Tain bypass. A nauseous feeling developed which stopped
me eating and drinking for a while and by 7 hours I was feeling quite weak,
and unable to maintain more than 125 bpm. After this time I lost track of what
my heart rate should be, and just splashed on doggedly. I forced down a
banana, gradually felt less sick, and was thankful to note that I had not
slowed down too much, and for the last 2 hours I was back up to 135 or 140 bpm
and almost enjoying the race again! A downwind leg between the Nigg and
Cromarty Bridge roundabouts allowed greater speed and I dug in even nudging
30 mph on slightly downhill sections.
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I was not physically sick in the middle hours, but
queasy and uncomfortable until 10 hours or so had expired, during which time I
ate and drank less than I should have. It was a great effort to get through a
banana, food I usually enjoy. I was unable to drink the flat coke and Lucozade
that I had available, sources of caffeine and carbo selected as alternatives
to the excellent Ultra Buffer sports drink that I mostly used. And definitely
not the chicken legs included in Patsys hamper brought as an alternative to
sweet things! During the whole race I drank 3.8 litres (61/2
pints) of water containing mostly Ultra Buffer supplying 260g as well as
small amounts of protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. I also ate 4
bananas and 6 Ultra bars giving 144g carbs a total of 404g carbohydrate
during the 12 hours. With hindsight in terms of how I felt during the race,
and from what more experienced riders have confirmed, I concluded that my
nutrition strategy was not quite correct. On the one hand I had not taken in
enough fluid - however I did in fact intend to drink 6.4 litres (111/4
pints) drink, and I still feel this would have been correct had I not felt
nauseous. Then I stopped eating and drinking for some time to hopefully get
rid of this feeling. I had great difficulty in even eating a banana at this
stage. This lack of fluid and carbs probably caused a dip in energy levels
between 6 and 10 hours, not helped by the wind and cold conditions. I also
think it possible that the nausea was due to my taking on too many
carbs (168g) too early in the race i.e. within the first 3 hours or so. This
may have overfilled my stomach to cause maldigestion and sickness until the
system settled down later in the race. I had later got Patsy to make up and
hand me a bottle of Ultra Refresher recovery drink that I started taking 30
minutes from the end of the race. Despite the feeding problems I was pleased
to record 215.5 miles only 5 miles short of my target. Considering the wet
and windy conditions I judged the overall effort a success, and felt I could
have managed 220 miles had the weather been kinder and with an improved
feeding strategy. |
The key to success in this type of event is heavily
dependent on planning. To know that you have (hopefully) thought of everything
gives confidence - following is a summary of my preparations, and other ideas
that I found helpful:-
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training sessions a long ride of 100 to 125 miles for
each of 5 or 6 weeks before the race these also reveal clues as to what
speed, effort, pacing and nutrition is required for the real thing. A couple
of these rides involved 8 or 9 hours in the saddle at low intensity, just to
get the body used to suffering in a low position for long periods.
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Stretching every 15 minutes or so during the ride, I
stretched each shoulder backwards in a rolling motion; got up out of the
saddle putting more weight on the arms for 16 revs or so to relax the back and
legs; circled the head a little when it was safe to do so to ease neck
muscles, and changed breathing rhythm by taking a few very deep breaths. I did
not suffer any pain or major discomfort both during and in the days after the
race, unlike after the 100 when I was very stiff for a while.
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Spare food I carried a couple of spare Ultra energy bars,
jelly babies, mints, chewing gum just in case I fancied these, along with a
few caffeine tablets which can give a boost when flagging. I was unable to
take the latter since they became wet, and disintegrated. My support also
carried a couple of well-salted chicken legs and a flask of strong coffee but
I could not face either.
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Schedule feedback on progress is useful, but as it was
not possible to obtain this from my support I carried a (supposedly)
waterproof schedule taped to the top tube this recorded the actual time at
which I should reach each of the 9 turns, given that the distances of the
turns were detailed on the start sheet and that I intended to cover 220 miles
in 12 hours. I had also recorded my predicted instantaneous and cumulative
average speed relative to both distance and real time, so was able to see that
I wasnt doing too badly. For interest I also recorded the numbers, names and
handicap times for the rest of the field, so that I would have some idea how I
might be doing relative to the others, and this also gave me motivation, as I
was able to gauge my progress against some other good riders who I was
evidently gaining on. I noted that I averaged 17.7 mph over the last 2 hours,
not far down on my overall average of 18.0 mph, so despite problems I had been
fairly consistent in effort.
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The bike I stripped the bike down more or less completely
two weeks before the race, checking every nut, bolt and spoke for tightness,
cleaning the chain and derailleur etc. together with careful preparation in
every other aspect. This gives confidence knowing that one has done as much as
one possibly can to avoid problems. Since my support was not able to be close
to me all of the time, I carried a spare tube and tyre levers in a small
under-saddle bag, with a small pump on the bottle cage.
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Illness / injury / communications etc - I carried a few
paracaetomol with me just in case of any aches and pains, and my support kept
a first aid kit. An essential was a fully-charged mobile for me and my support
her number was placed before the race so as to ensure two-touch dialling. I
carried dry cycling gear, including shoes, in the support car, but in the
event did not use any. I would just have got wet again, and didnt feel
particularly cold at any time. I did however take on a fit of violent
shivering 5 minutes after dismounting at the end of the race and turned the
heater up fully in the car. |
What did I learn from the race that might make any future
endurance race more successful? How would I change my strategy?
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Heart rate I need to review my expected HR for the race
and test in long practice sessions. As a first guess, I reckon in a 12 hour TT
133 bpm would be more appropriate for me than 138
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Nutrition hopefully the nausea experienced can be avoided
in future by eating small chunks of food more regularly, rather than a full
banana or energy bar at one go. I probably over-estimated carbohydrate
requirements, especially early on in the race I have since concluded that in
a long endurance race such as the 12 hour, fat mobilisation reduces the needs
for glycogen replenishment by carbohydrate ingestion. I was surprised that
three days after the race, when hydration was presumably back to normal, I
nevertheless weighed some three pounds less than just before the race.
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Weight I was 11st 7lbs (72 kg) at the start of the race
and felt that this was about right for my height of 511" (1.80m) I would
try and achieve this weight before any future long races. The bike itself (Cannondale
R1000 Aero) is very light at only 18 lbs (10.2 kg) but wet clothing and the
extras carried particularly the three 750 ml bottles carried for some of the
time at least added up to another 7lbs (4kg). I would gain marginal
advantage by minimising weight, taking food and drinks only as required in
future, requiring closer support.
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Data in future I intend to gather more information on my
performance in order to hopefully discover more clearly how I might improve.
Whilst some would not go down this road, preferring instead to rely on
instinct or experience, I find this scientific approach both helpful and
interesting. I intend to record fuller data in future, in particular on heart
rate, speed, distance etc., together with cadence and possibly power. The new
generation of HRM / bike computers are able to perform all these functions and
record greater quantities of data that can be downloaded simply to a computer
at home.
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Maintenance after the 12 hours my chain, despite being
newly cleaned and lubricated beforehand, was completely dry and showed traces
of rust! Undoubtedly the permanently wet conditions played their part, but
this should not have happened and I will seek a remedy, possibly a good
quality dry lubricant, to avoid this happening again.
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Knowledge I intend to read as many articles and books
about the subject as possible over the winter period, and make a list of
potentially important pointers. |
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