Club News
Race Report: WNTL - Open A
Race: Wednesday Night Track - Open A
Date: May 10, 2023
AVRT racers: Nico Sandi
Top Result: Nico Sandi (1/15)
Course: 4 left turns
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/9049642038
Nutrition: Big thing of rice on the drive down. Gatorade and clif shots as needed (lots).
A smaller field tonight, only three race and they were short. My favorite.
I will start doing something new with these reports. I will be racing a lot of track this summer and don’t want to bore you with the details of every single move that happened in every race I do. I divide each night into the races that we do and just highlight one move or one lesson I learned at that race.
Unknown Distance (1/15)
The race could be between 3 and 18 laps. I followed a move 7 laps in and decided to fully commit to it. It worked out even though it was a little more work that I expected. I think this race is so much luck, but committing to ONE solid effort worked out.
Tempo (1/15)
11 lap race. I knew that would be 5 minutes and I trusted my 5 minute power. I shared points with a couple of people but was driving at the front the whole race.
Scratch (1/15)
40 laps. Being extra patient paid off on this one. Moves went but I was never the one to close them until the very end. Someone will always get more impatient than you and do the work.
Nico
Photo by Randy Higashi. I got to use Skyler’s race wheels :) They are very fast!
Race Report: 2023 Berkeley Streets Criterium - Men’s Cat 4
Race: 2023 Berkeley Streets Criterium - Men’s Cat 4
Date: April 30, 2023
AVRT racers: Drew Mathews, Riley Chapman, Logan Allen
Top Results: Drew (6/39), Riley (8/39), Logan (11/39)
Course: A 0.75 km lap on the West Crescent Lawn at UC Berkeley. The course follows a roundabout with poor pavement after the start, into a looping descent that turns right into a straightaway, preceding a right turn that climbs back to the start / finish.
Strava: Berkeley Streets Criterium
Nutrition: I had some rice cakes an hour before the start, and I shot an Untapped maple syrup packet fifteen minutes before we kicked off.
Recap:
This race was the second of the Berkeley omnium, and all three of us raced the Berkeley Hills Road Race the day before. Thus, we carried some fatigue into this race from the day before. Logan was doing the best he could carrying a cold with him this weekend, while Riley’s aim was to get some more experience in crit racing. I was targeting this race for the weekend knowing Berkeley hills was more suited to some of my other teammates. Our strategy was to put in some attacks during the second half of the race.
The first half of the race was fast paced, and it proved difficult to move up on most of the course. The best opportunities were on the straightaway at the bottom of the hill and on the uphill towards the start / finish. Our field often took the downhill corner two or three riders abreast instead of single file.
Logan went to the front during the second quarter of the race to get better lines cornering and not have to deal with jostling for position, stringing out the field in the process. Riley was sitting in the top ten wheels and looking strong. Around halfway through the race, I was looking to move up knowing I’d have few chances to do so, and the field sat up on the uphill, giving me the opportunity to move towards the front. After a Cal Poly rider on the front didn’t want to pull on the ensuing roundabout, I took the opportunity to try and attack. I dangled off the front for a lap or two, not gaining much of a gap, and was reeled in with fifteen minutes to go.
At this point, the pack was whittled down to twenty or so riders. Attacks went without gaining much of a gap, though the race finished at a high pace. I drifted back to fifteenth place or so after my attack and put in a dig to make up wheels the last three or four laps. We all finished relatively strong, me at sixth, Riley at eighth, and Logan at eleventh. Riley’s performance was impressive in this being one of his first crits. Logan finished very well considering he was under the weather. I was happy with sixth this being my second race and first crit back from my collarbone break in March. I finished tenth, Riley twelfth, and Logan thirteenth in the Omnium. It was a fun race and capped off a fun weekend of racing.
-Drew
X Ride - 5.18.23 (Later Start)
X Ride is happening this Thursday. Same loop as before. Gonna roll out neutral on the road section of alpine; the fun begins on the dirt. Fun is defined as 4+ w/kg. We will regroup at the top of Crazy Petes where it intersects with Skyline. We’ll continue down Skyline, and onto Rapley to enjoy some singletrack. We’ll weave our way back to Skyline, and then rip down Cloud’s Rest to Dirt Alpine.
Ride rolls at 7 am at Robert’s Market on Alpine and Portola Valley. Ride should take about 90 minutes. Cross country mountain bikes are suggested. Bring a gravel bike if you can rip it.
Route: https://www.strava.com/routes/3085673587054248536
AV Wednesday Intervals 05/17, by AC Coaching
Hi guys, another week of intervals, I’m happy to be back to the Bay Area at home (with Papouille of course), and joining the intervals! Spicy high intensity efforts this Wednesday!
Any level is welcome, come and do the effort at YOUR pace. I’ll be here to explain the training, help with pacing, give advice, and answer to any questions.
The meet up is at woodside intersection of Canada Road/84, in the parking of village bakery, at 7.15am
One warm up loop, Manuela/olive hill. After we ride to Kings for the intervals starting at 7.30am.
35min of workout to the top. 8.05.
Back down around 8.15am.
Session: Anaerobic work 4x (4x 40” Hard !)
High power work.
4 sets of 4 times 40" hard work, with only 30" rest. The 4th rep of every set will be hard, it has to be.
Full 5min rest between sets, you've got time to rest and recover! And keep pushing high power.
Build the power from 130% to 150%, depending on how you feel!
Very useful to build your anaerobic power, power efficiency, spinning fast, follow any moves and be ready to sprint!
Route: https://www.strava.com/routes/3049221988200414344?v2=true
Summary: 15 miles / Up&Down Kings. One warm up loop, Manuela/olive hill. After going on Kings for the intervals.
Start: Village Bakery Parking, Woodside. Intersection Canada Road / 84
(Woodside Intersection)
Time: Wednesday 15th May, Meet 7.10 a.m., Leave 7:15 a.m.
Ride etiquette: https://www.altovelo.org/ride-rules
Ride Leader: Andrea Cloarec, AC Coaching
Race Report: 4/19 WNTL - Open A
Race: Wednesday Night Track - Open A
Date: April 19, 2023
AVRT racers: Skyler Espinoza
Top Result: Skyler Espinoza (? if you’re not top 5 they don’t give results at the track)
Course: 4 left turns
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8925555638
Nutrition: Pasta on the drive down, UCAN energy powder directly before, Gatorade and Clif shots throughout the evening.
Opening night at the track! At the track I race with the Open As which in general is just for fitness because I haven’t historically been actually able to really race. The field averages 29-30mph over the whole race, so it’s plenty quick and there are some really strong riders.
Jeff Vander Stucken Photography
The field was gear restricted (honor system) to a 92” for the first two weeks, so I ran a 94” :). Usually in the men’s field I run a 104” gear so I was spinning my brains out.
First race was a snowball (every lap is worth one more point than the one before). I got the first point (or second maybe) and then TOTALLY blew up. Didn’t warmup quite hard enough to go balls to the wall right away but I was a little antsy and just went for it! Last half of that race was so hard.
Second race was an elimination (last rider across the line gets eliminated every lap), which I was excited about since I have a lot of race experience and in this particular race tactics are very important. I rode a pretty smart race and ended up 8th! Which is a super result for me in this field.
Points was last, 36 laps and I was a little afraid I wouldn’t be able to hang. It was a reduced field ~12 by that time in the night so once I got shelled I would get shelled for sure. I got 2 points in the second sprint (I think first time I’ve ever gotten points in that field) and then managed to stay with the lead pack for the rest of the race because the pace slowed down a little more in between sprints than it usually does due to the reduced field and also everyone else being tired from spinning I think.
Overall it was a strong season opener and this year I feel like I’m actually racing with the big boys, not just hanging on! Excited for more track to come!!!
Race Report: 2023 Berkeley Streets Criterium Women 4/Novice/Collegiate C
Race: 2023 Berkeley Streets Criterium Women 4/Novice/Collegiate C
Date: April 30, 2023
AVRT racers: Alana Mari, Louise Thomas
Top Result: Louise 5/10 (cat 4), 5/13 (combined)
Course: Short 0.46 mile laps in downtown Berkeley featuring a traffic circle with rough pavement and an uphill finish.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8986328218
Nutrition: Since we had the 8 am start I wasn’t really that hungry when I got up at 5 am (my usual wake up time is around 8 so I was a bit of a zombie at that point), but forced myself to have some cooked oats and honey for breakfast. During the race I had a few sips of malto.
Recap: I originally thought I was going to be racing this one by myself, so was pretty excited when Alana texted me to say she was registering day of. Before the race we discussed possible threats - most of the other women had also raced Berkely Road Race so I was hoping that had tired them out too.
In the second or third lap Alana launched an attack. Initially no one followed, so I sat back and waited for someone to chase. After a few laps of Alana being off the front, Hannah (who had won the road race the day before) decided to close the gap and I jumped on her wheel. Once the pack was back together Hannah then launched her own attack. Honestly I’m not sure how she had the energy for that, and I couldn’t even hold onto her wheel at that point.
The field split up with Hannah (Cal Poly), Evelyn (Eclipse) and Sherry (Super Sprinkles) in the breakaway, and with me, Haley (Super Sprinkles) and Felicity (Eclipse) in a chase group. It stayed that way for the second half of the race, with me and Haley each trying to avoid pulling but ending up there anyway. Haley probably ended up doing a bit more work than me, which was much appreciated, even though she had a teammate on the sideline yelling at her to get out of the wind and stop working for most of the race.
At some point during the race there was a loud bang that sounded a like a gunshot. Turns out one of the other rider’s tire had come off of their rim and the tube had gotten pinched in-between the outer part of the rim and tire and popped. Who knew that was even possible?
On the final lap Hannah won by a landslide. Felicity, who had been sitting on our wheels the whole time, sprinted around the side past me and Haley and crossed the line for 4th. It was a little bit annoying to have that happen again; in hindsight I probably should have attacked on the hill a few laps prior, but at the time I was worried about burning matches and not having anything left for the final sprint since me and Haley are pretty similarly matched. It’s all a learning experience though.
Race Report: 2023 Berkeley Hills Road Race Womens Short Course
Race: 2023 Berkeley Hills Road Race Women’s Short Course (P/1/2/3/4/Novice/40+/50+/60+/Collegiate)
Date: April 29, 2023
AVRT racers: Chris Davis, Kristin Hepworth, Lora Maes, Louise Thomas, Steph Hart, Stephanie Burns, Sue Lin Holt
Top Results:
Cat 4: Louise 5/25 (7/44 combined)
50+: Lora 1st (8/44 combined), Chris 2nd, Stephanie Burns 3rd
40+: Kristen 3rd, Sue Lin 4th
Course: 1.85 laps of the “3 bears loop”, finishing at the top of Papa Bear. It’s a hilly, 19-mile loop with the main features being the two big climbs at the end: Mama Bear is just over a mile at 4%, which is immediately followed by a short descent and another short climb (there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on whether or not that’s still part of Mama bear) before descending 0.75 miles to the start of Papa Bear, which is 0.9 miles at 6.7%.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8979798867
Nutrition: Some granola and yogurt for breakfast and a cliff bar just before the race started. During the race, I had 1.5 bottles of malto/fructose/salt mix, plus a handful of gummy bears. I think I screwed up the salt ratio in my bottle because I ran out of sodium citrate and was using table salt instead, but it was actually ok (just more salty than I was expecting) so maybe I’ll continue doing that in the future.
Recap:
In the combined field there were 44 of us in the race, which for anyone who knows women’s racing in the area is an absolutely incredible number. Typically the number of racers is closer to 10, so kudos to the promotors and everyone who showed up. We also had good representation from Alto Velo, with seven of us plus Robin (friend of AV) starting.
Team! Minus Steph who got a flat during the race 😢
The race started out fairly civilized. Everyone was being cautious with such a big peloton, and Chris and Stephanie did a great job taking control on the front to stretch out the field. Even with everyone trying to be safe shit still happens though; on San Pablo Dam Rd, just a few miles into the race, I heard a crash behind me and found out from some of the other riders that Liz and another rider from Super Sprinkles and crashed out after catching a wheel in a crack in the road.
On Castro Ranch Rd there’s a kicker that thinned out the field a little bit, but apart from that the pack mostly stayed together for the first lap. That is until Mama Bear. Going into the race I assumed it was going to be a race of attrition on the hills and that’s essentially what happened. On the climb people were dropping like flies, and by the top of Papa Bear a breakaway of 8 had formed. Lora had made the break but unfortunately I’d been dropped just before the top of the climb. However, working with Haley (Super Sprinkles) and Evelyn (Eclipse), we managed to catch back on at the bottom of the Papa Bear descent. After this, the pace relaxed again.
The second lap played out pretty similar to the first one, with not much happening for most of it. As we passed the crack in the road where Liz had crashed there was a police car stationed to warn people to go around. A bit further up the road a couple of firetrucks had pulled up next to some riders that had crashed from a different field. I never thought of that stretch of road as being particularly dangerous, but it was absolute carnage that day.
On the far side of the course, before getting to the bears, we kept yo-yo-ing with a junior guys field. They would sprint past us, then slow down so that we would have to go around, before shooting past us once again. It was a little bit annoying, but at least the field had thinned out enough by that point that there was enough space for everyone.
Going up Mama Bear I got dropped once again along with Haley, Lora, and Evelyn. Once again I managed to catch back on, this time by myself and just before the start of Papa Bear. I was pretty proud of that effort - I’ve never managed to catch back on after being dropped before and this race I did it twice! The solo effort to catch the front group left me pretty gassed though so I had nothing left in the tank for the final climb and got dropped again almost immediately. Luckily there was no one immediately behind though, so I just finished the race as best I could as the last rider in the first group. Lora crossed the line not long after, then followed by a group with Kristin and Sue Lin. Lora, Chris, and Stephanie dominated the 50+ category taking home 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively.
Thanks for reading!
Louise
Chris, Lora and Stephanie sweeping the podium
AV Wednesday Intervals 05/10, by AC Coaching
Hi guys, let’s open the weather will allow us to ride and do our intervals this Wednesday morning! Let’s play with the power this week. Ramp up Variations. (Last week away for me, Lindsey will be here to lead the session, with her Green Jersey? ;) )
Any level is welcome, come and do the effort at YOUR pace. I’ll be here to explain the training, help with pacing, give advice, and answer to any questions.
The meet up is at 7.15am
Back down around 8.15am.
Session: Ramp up 3* (3/2/1/30")
Ramp up intervals, with half time rest.
3 sets of:
3' @100%, 1'30r
2' @110, 1'r
1' @120%, 30"r
30" @130+
3 minutes rest before the next set.
Control your effort on the first 3 and 2 minutes, keep ramping up the power through the reps.
And keep the rest very low, focus on the effort!
Route: https://www.strava.com/routes/3049221988200414344?v2=true
Summary: 15 miles / Up&Down Kings. One warm up loop, Manuela/olive hill. After going on Kings for the intervals.
Start: Village Bakery Parking, Woodside. Intersection Canada Road / 84
(Woodside Intersection)
Time: Wednesday 10th May, Meet 7.10 a.m., Leave 7:15 a.m.
Ride etiquette: https://www.altovelo.org/ride-rules
Ride Leader: Lindsey Raven
Race Report: 2023 Berkeley Hills Road Race Men P123
Race: Berkeley Hills Road Race - Men's Cat P/1/2/3 District Champs
Date: April 29th, 2023
AVRT racers: Austin King, Cameron O'Reilly, Conor Austin, Grant Miller, Jack Liu, Jonathan Wells, Matthew Koenig, Nathan Martin, Nico Sandi
Top Result: Nathan Martin 3rd, Nico Sandi 5th, Cameron O'Reilly 10th
Course: Roughly 5 laps of an 18.7 mi loop with 1,650 ft of elevation gain, totaled 93 miles and about 8000 feet with the roll-out. The course starts on San Pablo Dam, a rolling but slightly uphill few miles before a wicked fast descent turns us onto Castro Ranch Road, where our first small climb awaits. After this hill, there’s another fast descent which leads to a turn onto Alhambra Valley, which is a few miles of 1-2% gradient before the main feature of the course, “The Bears”. “The Bears” is a series of 1-3 minute climbs which make up most of the elevation gain and most of the action. “Mama bear” is the first, being about 1-2 minutes long, followed by two rollers, before descending to the start of “Papa bear”. Papa is a bit longer than Mama, being closer to 2-3 minutes long, with the finish line at the top, and is followed by another roller before the longest and steepest descent of the course. After that descent comes “Baby bear”, the shortest but also steepest climb, lasting only about 30-45 seconds.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8980128092
Nutrition: I had about 650 calories of endurance mix in a single bottle, 400 cal of lara bars, 3 gels, and some electrolyte mix from the team feedzone bottles. I think I ended up eating about 1000 calories of what I brought and drinking 3 bottles. I was worried it was going to be warmer so brought a bit more than was needed.
Recap: In our prep for the race, we identified a collection of riders as being the biggest threats: Tyler Williams, Sam Boardman, and Sean Bennett. The first two are current Legion riders (and had just gone 1-3 at Sea Otter the week before), and the third is a recently-retired World Tour rider. Other strong local talents like James Kinney, Ryan Gorman, Eric Colindres, Miles Hubbard, Travis McCuen, and Bradley Wiggs were also in the mix. Dolce Vita had the biggest squad other than us, but Terun, Team Mikes Bikes, and Voler also had squads out.
Our aim was to use me, Grant, and Cam to try and put pressure on the teams throughout the early to mid-race and commit to a break if we could, and Nico would be our man for the final sprint since he’d done very well from the field in the 3s last year.
Lap 1 started off fairly uneventful, the group sorta surveying the roads with not too many moves or anything before the climbs, but when it started heating up Conor Austin did lots of valuable work this lap covering moves before his saddle broke and tires blew up (he got a nice shoutout from Sam after the race for keeping it upright)! When we hit Mama Bear the first time, I was feeling good and very close to the front, so I started to up the pace. Nobody followed me, so I kept at it up and over the climb, settling into a nice tempo pace on the climbs and descents. I was joined by Max Korus from TMB on Papa Bear, and we started to work together a bit. Both of us knew this break wasn’t really going anywhere, just to try and cause a bit of work from the other teams behind us.
We were caught on Mama bear on Lap 2 by a small break. Tyler Williams, Sean Bennet, Miles Hubbard, and Nico Sandi were among them, so I figured I would just jump on the back and see how long I could stay with them. There were some surges, but nothing materialized and we were soon caught by the group before Papa.
Just after the feed zone on Papa, Tyler Williams put in a pretty big dig, soon to be followed by a lot of the other riders we identified pre-race. Nico and I had just done a bunch of work, so we looked to someone else to close it and Cam jumped and put himself in the group. He was heavily outnumbered though, and Nico told us it wasn’t what we wanted, so I started to work to pull them back, catching them just before the big descent, and bringing the group back together.
Nothing major got away on baby bear or the stretch on San Pablo Dam, now on Lap 3, some surges here and there, which AV did well not to jump on immediately and let others do some work. Once we got onto the false flat backside of the course, Cam went off the front and gained nearly a minute and a half on the group by the top of mama bear. Austin also did a lot of work during this time to make sure Nico and I were pulled up to the front after Cam attacked, to make sure we could respond if anyone dangerous tried to bridge. Matthew was doing a lot of work at the front covering moves before Austin pulled Nico and me up to help. For now though, we could take a breather as we had someone off the front and there weren’t many attempts at bridging.
A full lap later again at Mama Bear, now on lap 4, the penultimate lap, Cam still had about a minute on the group, but the gap would start shrinking as Tyler and Sean again went full gas up Mama Bear and didn’t let up over the following rollers, causing some shelling of people. Cam finally came into view when we started Papa, and a group with the big threats in the race started hauling right out of the feed zone, catching us a bit off guard, so we had to do a bunch of work to make it up to them over the top of Papa.
Then on the little roller right after the papa summit, a TMB rider (didn’t catch who it was) split up the group a bit more, and I ended up with the TMB rider, Sean Bennett, and Tyler Williams. I did no work in this group, Tyler trying to egg me on and get me to work, but I wouldn’t budge and the break ended up fizzling out, with the whole group coming back together on Alhambra Road.
As our last time up Mama Bear got closer, in my head I was thinking Nico was our best shot during the final sprint, as we planned. I moved in front of him, then Jon moved in front of me and ate a ton of wind to take us like 10 wheels up and put us right behind Legion and Sean Bennett. This was a super crucial move, we all knew that it was going to pop off on Mama this last time, so our positioning was critical.
When the climb started, I was yelling at Nico to get on Tyler’s wheel. He wasn’t quite holding it so I jumped in front of Nico and told him to get on my wheel to help him bridge, but he was pretty gassed so I just tried my best to stay behind Tyler. It was absolutely clear this was the winning move, as he was soon joined by Sean Bennett and Miles Hubbard, and they started gaining time on us.
They stayed away from me by just a few seconds, even as we crested the top of Mama and started the rollers. I started cramping a bit so I knew I was right at the limit, just had to hold my power and hope they’d slow up. Luckily, they eased off just a bit and I was able to catch them on the first roller after Mama.
When we hit bottom of Papa, there was a lot of looking around, but nothing much until about 500m to go when Sean put in a big attack. He quickly burned out and Tyler, Miles and I passed him. From there it was just whoever had the most gas in the tank, hardly sprint or anything, and we all finished 2-3 seconds apart from each other. Tyler 1st, Miles 2nd, Me 3rd, Sean 4th.
Personally, it was exhilarating for me to ride in a last minute break with some of the strongest riders in NorCal and finish on a podium with a continental pro. Usually I find little things in a race where I go “dang, I wish I could have done x better or wish I could have given it 10% more at this part of the race”, but this race I feel like I gave it everything and have no regrets.
I really owe the success to our awesome teamwork though. We had solid breakaway efforts putting pressure on other teams and letting our other guys rest, didn’t chase every little move and burn ourselves out, covered the moves that mattered, and communicated well. It felt like a really well-done race from a tactical POV, which was 100% needed when so many strong riders came out. So grateful for all the work the team put in, was a full effort from everyone.
Race Report: 4/26 WNTL - Open A
Race: Wednesday Night Track - Open A
Date: April 26, 2023
AVRT racers: Nico Sandi, Skyler Espinoza
Top Result: Nico Sandi (1/21)
Course: 4 left turns
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8964243260
Nutrition: Big thing of rice on the drive down. Gatorade and clif shots as needed (lots).
Season opener at the track!! And one of the only times of the year I get to race alongside Skyler.
Jeff Vander Stucken Photography
If you are still thinking about riding the track please reach out with questions. This year Hellyer has taken a few more steps to make riding and racing more welcoming for new folks. We want more people to come out and experience racing on the track. It is almost as fun as cyclocross.
18 lap scratch (1/21): this was my first time winning a scratch race! From a SPRINT nonetheless. A couple of early moves went but I was just trying to be extra patient and actually trust my sprint at the end. With 5 to go the field was super strung out and eventually two people got off the front. I didn’t panic and waited for other to close it. With 2 to go a rider got to the front, I was glued to his wheel and he pulled the break back, catching them on the back straight where I launched and was able to hold off the field at the line.
12 lap tempo (5/21): A rider went off the front immediately after the whistle. He was able to get points on the first 3 laps. I again was trying to save energy and try one bigger attack later. But the field was going super fast the whole race trying to bring him and other attackers back. I was only able to get myself one point on a random lap and come in for 3rd in the final sprint.
Elimination (1/21): super sketchy race! I think that it being the first race of the year made it extra hectic. Everyone was jostling for position and rubbing elbows and screaming at each other. It was scary. I tried my best to stay in the mix in the first few laps and had a couple close calls at the back of the bunch. I had to put in a couple of digs to get to the front to be in better position, but quickly dropped back. With 6 to go I made my best to stay second wheel and let others in the back fight for position. With only 3 riders left I was able to sit in the wheels while they sprinted against each other, passed them at then line and kept going. I was able to ride the final lap alone since the other two riders were gassed from sprinting each other.
Points (3/21): Going for the omnium meant that I was only really marking 2 riders going into this race. My goal was to follow them and make sure I was getting the same or more points than them. I let other moves go early and eventually countered to follow a move and get some points halfway through the race. Other than those points the only other points I got were at the final sprint where I sprinted for second. Enough to get me that omnium win.
Nico
Race Report: 2023 Berkeley Road Race - Men’s Masters 3/4
Race: 2023 Berkeley Hills Road Race- Men’s Masters 3/4 (35+)
Date: April 29, 2023
AVRT racers: Nat Green, Hoss Hayati, Shai Traister
Top Results: Nat (5/44), Hoss (14/44), (Shai flatted)
Course: 3 laps of the 18-mile “Three Bears” loop. The course starts out flat for a few miles on San Pablo Dam Road, before descending quickly to a right turn onto Castro Ranch Road, which has 90-second climb and then descends to a right turn onto Alhambra Valley Road, which is a narrow road with a mild uphill grade for about five miles. The course then turns right onto Bear Creek road, which has the most distinctive features of the course: the three-minute (or so) “Mama Bear” climb, and then, after a short descent, the five-minute (or so) “Papa Bear” climb. The finish line is just before the top of Papa Bear. There is then about a 1.5-mile fast, non-technical descent to the “Baby Bear” climb (a very short, but pretty steep kicker), and then another right turn onto San Pablo Dam Road again. Weather was in the 50s to start and the 60s by the end, and sunny. Wind was mild and not a major factor.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8979973507
Nutrition: I brought two bottles of Skratch mix and a bunch of gels. I also got a third bottle from the AV feed at the end of lap 2 (thanks guys!). That was fine for three laps, given the weather.
Recap: This was a big field with 44 riders to start, and several teams (Dolce Vita, Work Health Solutions, PV) with more riders than we had, so our strategy was to minimize the work we did to save energy for what we expected to be a fast finale on the last two climbs of lap 3. But we also tried to stay reasonably close to the front in case of a split and to keep an eye on threatening moves off the front. There were attacks from the start with a couple of riders going off the front. We were not in great position at that point, but assumed they would be quickly brought back. And so did the rest of the field. But apparently no one in our field realized that one of the guys who went early was able to latch onto the 4s who had started just ahead of us in a group of 70+, and he ended up riding with them most of the way and “winning” our race. More on that later.
Setting aside the guy racing with the 4s, the race played out mostly as we expected, with very hard efforts over the climbs, and a more moderate pace in the flatter sections and descents. The group lost a few riders each time we went over one of the climbs, especially Mama Bear on lap 2, where one of the Dolce Vita guys really pushed the pace. But these folks were quickly replaced (and then some) with all of the 4s that had been dropped from the main pack of 4s ahead of us and who decided to ride with us when we swept them up, which made for some extra chaotic and confusing racing, at times (and also probably contributed to the confusion about whether we had caught riders off the front of our field).
A split formed over the top of Papa Bear at the end of lap 2, with about 12 of us going clear of the rest of the group (including a few from the 4s field, probably). No one pushed the pace on San Pablo Dam Road, though, after the descent, so the group behind caught up pretty quickly (this was around the time that Shai flatted). There were a couple of attacks on lap 3 that were quickly brought back, setting up a showdown on the final Mama Bear and Papa Bear. Mama Bear was fast, but you could tell that folks were conserving something for Papa Bear, and no one really wanted to go for it and try to stay away between Mama Bear and Papa Bear. As we approached the final climb, I wanted to stay in the draft as long as possible, since I knew it was a long way to the line. The group became strung out very quickly, though, and it was just a contest to see who had the most in the tank at that point. About ten of us were pretty close together as we neared the line, and despite emptying the tank, I ended up fifth. I was happy with the effort, though – having put out 390w for 3:30, which I thought was pretty good for the end of a race.
The first guy in our group celebrated like he had won the race, and the initial results showed he had. Later, they were updated to add a different winner, who we quickly figured out had gone off the front right away and ridden with the 4s almost the entire way (he dropped back at the final climb). This was confirmed by Strava Flyby, eyewitness accounts, and video. We exchanged some messages with the race promoter, who agreed that it was a violation of the rules and said he would discuss with the head referee. That review is still pending, so it is unclear what action will be taken with respect to the “winner,” although the promoter said they had already decided to award the fourth-place finisher (actually third) a third-place prize, and that they would make a better effort next year to enforce the rule on riding with another field and possibly use different colored numbers for different fields, etc.
Nat
Race Report: Sea Otter Fuego XL M30s
Race: Sea Otter “Fuego XL”
Date: April 22, 2023
Category: M 30-39
Racers: Alex Rusoff (7th / 82), Shane McGuire
Every time I race Sea Otter the race gets longer and harder and this year it was 69 miles and 8500ft. The Fuego XL became part of the Lifetime Grand Prix series this year so most of the big hitters were out there racing (in the Pro categories).
This course, shared with the gravel event, really doesn’t call for a very gnarly bike. I was on my Blur TR which, although great, was total overkill. As far as nutrition I started with 2 bottles and grabbed a 2L hydro pack at the start of the 2nd lap. All bottles were ~60g carbs via skratch and malto mix. I had also prepped 2x gel flasks (5 gel-equivalents each) but really only needed one. It turned out I had plenty of carbs but maybe needed more salt.
The race started as all XC races do and by that I mean a 900w sprint off the line into a 400w 3 minute climb. We were semi mass started in that a few of the men’s age group categories started together. As a result it was never possible to tell what position I was in among my field (30-39). I now know from the results page that I was in 5th position at the first checkpoint, which meant my starting effort was about right.
The first hour was quite hard. I was doing 290w NP which was not going to be sustainable for 5 hours. The group I was riding in was making its way through the back of the pro women’s field who had started before us. By the end of the first lap my NP had dropped to 275w and I was still in 5th position but hurting.
When I stopped in the feedzone (half way) to grab my hydration pack my quads cramped up badly. I drank a ton of water hoping that would solve the cramps as it had the week prior at Lake Sonoma. I set off on lap 2 but it was pretty obvious that I was going to have to hold a dramatically lower power. I wasn’t sure if there was much merit to finishing the race but I also didn’t know what position I was in (I only know now, after the fact) so was curious how it would all play out.
My lap 2 pace was way off - only about 225w NP. I was kind of hoping that at some point I would start getting passed by a massive wave of riders and that would be my cue to call it a day but it didn’t really happen. A few of the pro women passed me, obviously having paced their effort much better than mine. Hopefully I don’t end up in a youtube video.
The interesting thing I came to find out at the end was that even though I had such a terrible second lap I only dropped from 5th to 7th. I’m not sure what the right takeaway is. It would have been satisfying to have consistency in power between first and second laps but on the other hand there is merit to staying up in the front group on an XC course where you can get slowed down by traffic in the single track. Truly one of those races where you are looking forward to the finish even before the whistle goes off.
Race Report: Sea Otter Road Race - Men’s A
Race: Sea Otter Classic - Men’s A
Date: April 21, 2023
AVRT racers: Nico Sandi, Grant Miller, Matthew Koenig
Top Result: Nico Sandi (22/73)
Course: 7 mile loop with a steep 3ish minute climb at the start of every lap. After lap 9 the course turns to the final 8ish minute climb.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8933154902
Nutrition: Four sleeves of clif shots, 3 caffeinated gels, three bottles with malto/gatorade mix.
This was a target race for me this year since I had won it in the B category last year. I was realistic about my expectations going in since I knew that the A category would be super fast and competitive. The start line was a sign of just how large the group was and all the pro teams that showed up with plenty of riders. I was intimidated.
I tried my best to stay close to the front on the neutral downhill roll out because I knew that the first climb would be very fast. And sure enough it was! I stayed towards the front of the group to make sure and not miss any splits. As soon as we crested the first climb a group of three went off the front with Legion, TMB and Project 74 in it. This forced other teams to chase which made the first lap incredibly fast.
The break was within sight coming into the second lap. As we turned into the climb it was even faster than the first lap. I was well positioned and was able to go with was eventually the winning move. 2 Legion, 2 TMB, another project 74, and a couple other fast riders made the split, joined the original break and crested ahead of the main group.
As we crested my chain refused to go into my big chainring. And as I looked down to see what was happening the move charged away in the the flat crosswind. I was both upset that I wasn’t with them after all the work on the climb but also relieved that my race would be way easier in the large chasing pack.
And that was the race. For the next 7 laps the main pack that I was on tried to send a couple counter moves but nothing sticked. The group slowly got smaller and smaller as the laps went on and fatigue set in. Eventually on lap 8 a small move went with another TMB and Legion while I was all was at the back eating. We came into the final climb in a group of around 9 people. At this point I was just following wheels and sprinting for the finish.
Just finishing this race was a huge success for me. I was happy to have been in the mix for little bit of a super fast race.
Nico
Race Report: Slug Circuit - Men Elite 3
Race: Slug Circuit - Men Elite 3
Date: April 9, 2023
AVRT racers: Nico Sandi, George Wehner, Riley Chapman
Top Result: Nico Sandi (1/23)
Course: 13 laps of a 2.5 mile loop. One climb, one descent. Nothing tricky. Just 13 4ish minute VO2 intervals.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8862135231
Nutrition: Oats in the morning. Four sleeves of clif shots, two bottles with malto/gatorade mix.
I had just gotten back from altitude in Bolivia and was feeling very excited about this race. The course suits me really well, warm temps even better.
This race had a lot of collegiate riders joining our field before or after their collegiate race, so the main team represented was Cal Poly with there strong riders. We came in as a team with not that much of a plan other than try to keep the race under control until the end. I was confident I could do well on the uphill sprint finish.
The first two laps were brutal! Cal Poly got to the front and absolutely smashed the climb. After two laps I looked back and the field was completely shattered. Only 9 riders left in this selection.
The rest of the race was fairly mellow. Laps 3 and 4 were still a hard tempo up the climb, but the pace was definitely way slower. A couple of people tried to get away in the middle laps, but with 3 Cal Poly and two Team California in the group I was confident the teams would mark each other and it would all stay close for a while.
A couple of time I covered attacks and was bullied into pulling to make the move stick. I didn’t. It wasn’t worth trying to get away in the climb when the likelihood of getting caught in then descent or the next climb was so high. I was just making sure things were together for the final climb to the finish line.
We came around the corner for the last climb to the finish and a solo rider went off the front. I had saved enough energy at this point that I felt confident covering moves leading into the finish. I closed the gap to that rider and his teammate attacked immediately. I was able to go with that attack as well and we got healthy separation from the group. With about 300 meters to go the rider flicked his elbow for me to pull but instead of pulling I yelled “Come on! You got this. All the way!” And somehow he put in another dig, giving me the perfect leadout. As soon as he let off the gas I sprinted around him and held off the field for the W and enough points to upgrade to Cat 2!
I loved this course and I can’t wait to race it later this year with the P12 field.
Nico
Race Report: 2023 Berkeley Streets Criterium – Women Cat 3/Collegiate B/Masters 40/50/60
Posted by Lora Maes
Date: Sunday 4/30/2023
AVRT Racers: Lindsey Raven, Christina Davis, Sue Lin Holt, Lora Maes
Top Result: Lora Overall Win & 1st 50+, Chris 2nd 50+, Lindsey 1st cat 3, Sue Lin 3rd 40+
Course: .46 mile course set in downtown Berkeley & Cal campus with a short uphill, round traffic circle with some rough pavement and a short downhill. The start/finish is in a narrow drive after a slight left at the top of the hill. Some manhole covers and metal plates to navigate on the downhill. Each lap was around 75 seconds. There was some wind on the downhill but no significant impact on the rest of the course.
Strava: https://strava.app.link/71VSxwMnszb
Nutrition: Race start wasn't until 2:30 so I made sure to have a full breakfast which included a waffle, bacon, and coffee. I had a left over waffle so had a pb&j sandwich at noon as I left to drive to Berkeley. One GU gel at race start. Sipped on some fluid during warm up.
Race Recap:
This was my first time doing this course so I made sure to arrive with plenty of time to navigate parking and getting time to view the course. Wasn't quite sure how I'd feel after the tough effort in the road race the day before. I got a hole in my rear tire before race start Sat and wasn’t confident about the plug staying in so changed out my tires Sunday morning. In between the men's races I hopped in and got a lap of the course, yep, there's rough patches of pavement on that round about. Took note of the turn on the downhill and the best line to take. Christina, Lindsey, Sue Lin and I chatted before race start and agreed we would take turns attacking to tire out Marcie (Revolution) and Shannon (Cycle Sport) who were very strong sprinters so Sue Lin could have a better chance at the sprint if it came down to it.
There were a total of 11 in our race so maneuvering and making moves shouldn’t be as difficult as with a larger field.
From the start Chris and Lindsey got things started very quickly taking control of the front and pushing the pace for the first 3-4 laps. I found myself a little too far back in the first lap or two and worked my way up to 4th or 5th wheel with the goal of protecting Sue Lin. Lindsey continued to attack off the front and chased back Marcie, Lindsey did such an incredible job in this race. There was a point in the first half when Lindsey and Marcie were off the front and I did not think they were going to come back but I patiently sat on a wheel not working much. We eventually brought them back and were then a pack of 7. Christina from Eclipse attacked on the straight before the uphill turn but then crashed coming out of the turn, thankfully nobody else got caught in it (checked on her after the race and she was ok). Now down to 6. Sue Lin wasn’t there anymore so now I’m thinking to conserve, don’t let all Lindsey’s work go to waste, wait for the right moment (keep reading) and be patient. Lindsey continued to attack off the front, and close down attacks from Marcie and Shannon – this was working how we wanted it to. Pace continued to be fast. I was on Marcie's wheel on the front then as we came through the turn up the hill a pedestrian was walking across the course completely clueless of our race!! I yelled NOOOOOOO!!!!! and thankfully she moved out of the way, almost saw a disaster happen. Marcie and I slowed slightly to let the group rejoin, it only seemed like the fair thing to do for the race. Now we were starting to lap dropped riders in our race. Lindsey's relentless attacks were having some effect, I could tell everyone was getting tired up the climb. With about 7 laps to go, I attacked in the middle of the hill into the narrow straight to the roundabout (pic below captured this moment in the race). I hear Lindsey yell to go. I thought just make it strong, hard, and long - I kept going. In retrospect, this was a perfectly timed attack, utilizing the hill, the narrow stretch before the roundabout, and the ability to not be seen once I was in the roundabout. On the downhill, I focused on taking a really good line into the turn with no braking. I noticed early in the race, I was gaining ground out of the turn as not everyone was cornering that well. I can get a gap going if I take really good turns and just kept telling myself, take good lines. It worked, I looked back and a solo gap formed. 6 more laps to go, charge the hill, take good lines. Sue Lin did some strategic placement on the roundabout as we passed, furthering the gap. 2 laps, I looked back, still nobody – I got this!! Keep pushing… got the overall win with a 10 second gap!
The result of my win was 100% teamwork, it could have not happened without everyone's contribution in the race. It was just amazing to see it all come together.
Race Report: 2023 Berkeley Streets Crit Women P123
Race: 2023 Berkeley Streets Crit Women P123
Date: April 30, 2023
AVRT racers: Kelly Brennan, Ari Pascarella, Gina Yuan, Niky Taylor
Top Result: Niky 1st, also we won the omnium
Course + Recap: WOWOWOWOWOW
The course is super short, less than half a mile and just over a minute per lap. From the start line it goes straight into a roundabout with not great pavement, but there’s one good line on the inside and then a 3ft wide strip of good pavement to take you out of it. From there it’s straight for a second and then a slight left downhill, then a fast right into the long straightaway. Then sharp right up a slight hill and around a bit of a left back to the finish.
This crit was day 2 part 2 of the Berkeley Omnium, and since we had gotten 1, 3, and 5 the day before in the road race we were in pretty good position. The ideal situation was to get me over the line first to secure us the Omnium win. We talked about that and I waffled around a lot and complained about my allergies. Cam and I put a GoPro on my bike because there‘s hardly ever videos of women’s races and Gina and I wanted to make one. It’s gonna be cool to look at the GoPro footage to see how I remember the race vs. what actually happened.
Ok so here’s what I (we) remember happening. The race started. Gina took charge immediately. She attacked, then some Monarch riders, both Terun riders, and Melanie caught her. She sat on their wheels and I chased them back (i.e. I was just riding really hard trying to not get dropped). At some point Gina attacked and I went with her and then she ripped the downhill corner into absolute shreds and left me in the dust. So I caught back up and then the same thing happened in the roundabout. So then I was like oh wait I’m just chasing my teammate. So I fell back to the group.
Gina stayed at the front and kept up attacks. Eventually she ended up in a break with Alex (Terun) and the two of them spent about half the race off the front. Monarch let them dangle, but that was fine for me, Kelly, and Ari just sitting in. Shoutout to Gina for having the hardest race of all of us and just absolutely crushing it.
Back in the pack, I had a few struggles with maintaining position. It took me a few laps to figure out lines. And then I was fighting with a solo rider a bit. I got gapped a few times and Ari would come around me to move me back up. At one point I glanced back and saw both Ari and Kelly right behind me, guarding me and ready to help me if I needed it.
I was feeling pretty good. I was so comfortable and well-positioned thanks to my teammates. Also my mom came out to cheer so that was really cool seeing her each lap. I started paying attention to the line I would take for a sprint. I was dedicated to sprinting. I saw all the work Gina was doing and Ari and Kelly were keeping me safe and all of them were playing the field so well. I wanted to go get them the win.
Gina and Alex got caught. I did a counterattack then came back in. Ari calmly took a preem. Kelly did an attack and led us through a couple laps. I tested out the sprint line and took a preem. That put me on the front. I didn’t want to be on the front so I dropped back to look for my teammates. Gina came up to help maneuver me. I told her I got it. She’d done so much and now it was my turn to bring it home and I was ready.
Kelly was monitoring the pack and watching other riders. Coming into the hill for the second to last time she gave me the sneaky sneaky signal by screaming “NOW NIKY GO.” So I blasted it to get into second position. I got on Alex’s (Terun) wheel and she was lighting it up trying to lead out Ilan but actually hi it’s me. It was perfect. I came around her on the hill and poured everything I had into a sprint and it felt SO. DAMN. GOOD. to cross that line first.
My teammates played this race amazingly. So incredibly solid. I love and respect them so much. Thanks guys for getting me to a sprint finish turns out I fucking loved it.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8987255780
Nutrition: Took some sips of skratch during the race
Race Report: 2023 Berkeley Road Race Women P123/Long Course
Race: 2023 Berkeley Road Race (District Champs) Women P123/Long Course
Date: April 29, 2023
AVRT racers: Kelly Brennan, Ari Pascarella, Lindsey Raven, Gina Yuan, Niky Taylor
Top Result: Niky 1st, Kelly 3rd (P123), Gina 5th (P123)
Course + Recap: It’s an 18 mile loop and we did it 4 times. Luckily it is pretty. Also nice weather so yay. Starts with a not super steep descent which is kinda sketch cause there’s some weird pavement things. Watch out. Right turn onto nice road with 2 main hills and some road furniture. Down a descent, then right onto a “flat” (actually 1-2%) for a while. Some vague rolling and then you get to the “3 bears.” No one seems quite sure which hill is what bear because there’s more than 3 climbs but here’s what we’ve deduced: there’s a moderate climb (mama bear), a descent, a short climb (psych, still mama bear), a descent, and then the biggest climb (papa bear) to the finish line. After the line there’s a kicker (baby bear), a fun descent, then another kicker (not a bear, just a kicker). Right turn, do it all again.
This race was district champs and the 1-year anniversary of me starting road racing. I wanted to win it. I haven’t really gone into many races trying to win. I’m usually more of a let’s see what happens and la de da. But I thought I’d try setting the intention this time. I buried my goal in a slack thread and everything.
I love racing with my teammates. We didn’t make a race plan (well, not a real one anyways), we just said how we were feeling and what we wanted and that was it. We know how we each ride and we know how to work together and we’re all comfortable trusting that. Also I cannot describe how amazing/relieving/wonderful it was to stage with a bunch of friends. Redlands was the last thing I did and was so intense. At Berkeley I got to joke around and laugh and say hello to all the other women and I wasn’t terrified.
Our race started out comically slow. We joked around a lot. End of lap 1 I pushed it on the climbs a bit. Gina watched the other riders and how they responded. At the start of lap 2 she told me who we needed to watch for. I got her to have some fun on the descent with me. She reminded me to be patient, which was good. Ari got on the front to control.
There were some attacks. We did some, Monarch did some, Terun did some. The field thinned out. Kelly covered a lot of stuff. Ari got two flats on the descent and had to pull out of the race. Lindsey was riding super strong but then got gapped on the second lap climbs. So it was down to me, Gina, and Kelly.
I felt weird. I realized I’m a bit burnt out. I was having just an ok time. I thought about pulling out of the race. I thought about how my throat hurt from allergies. I thought about all the ways I didn’t feel great and then realized no one else knew I didn’t feel great and they all probably saw me as a threat. And maybe I didn’t feel perfect but actually I felt pretty fine. So just keep biking.
Lap 3 Monarch started rolling attacks. It was definitely effective. Alex (Terun) and Gina and Melanie and another solo rider were doing a lot of the work to shut things down. I joined in to help Gina. Alex got us working together (along with a couple solo riders) to bring back one of the attacks. At one point Gina suggested I bridge up to Chloe (Monarch) and try working with her, so I did that, but then we got brought back and Monarch attacked again omg. Stop it.
I was kinda over it with being attacked, it felt like being caught in waves at the beach and just getting rolled over and over. So I attacked. Gina counterattacked that. Then Kelly got on the front and started pushing the pace up to discourage attacks. Sweet. I love Kelly.
Coming through a kicker Kelly really ramped it up and I went with her. We got a small gap and bucked down and got to work. That break lasted maybe a quarter of a lap and then we were caught. As soon as the group caught us Gina countered, and Kelly and I sat up. I said “holy shit I love Gina.” Kelly and I had really committed to that break and so we were both pretty tired. Gina attacking meant everyone else had to respond to her rather than make attacks of their own. That gave us the time we needed to sit in and recover. Such an excellent move by Gina. Holy shit I love Gina.
By the time we reached the climbs Kelly was recovered and covering things on the front. Into the kicker that I think is baby bear (the one right after the finish line), Chloe (monarch) attacked. We didn’t bring her back immediately, but Gina stayed on the front to control. We wanted to leave Chloe out there for a bit so Monarch wouldn’t counter. After a few minutes, Gina said to roll some attacks to get us up to Chloe. I was still struggling with mental stuff and it was taking a lot of energy, so I did a very lame attack. The field worked to catch me, then Gina did a much stronger counter and bridged to Chloe. Solo riders and Terun were forced to bring them back and Kelly and I took the free ride.
Then Helen (Monarch) attacked. I was like ok sure and bridged up to her. And then I was like hm I kinda like this. Having her with me meant that Monarch wasn’t gonna chase. And she helped me establish a pretty good break. And I was pretty sure I could out-climb her.
After a quarter lap the moto rolled up and said we had a 45s gap and Helen fully committed to just hanging on my wheel. We had some race banter which was basically me saying “don’t you wanna pull” and her saying “lol no way.” She thought I’d beat her on the climbs. Which made me realize that really all I had left to do was that.
So on mama bear or whatever the first hill is I put the pressure on, just slowly ramping up the pace. I gapped her and held it and grew it, hoping she’d give in. She didn’t. I worried she’d catch me. I knew if I let up at all she’d notice and she’d capitalize. So I rode hard, and it was hard, but at the base of the final climb I knew I had it.
I got to cross the line with my hands in the air. It was a cool moment, this race meant more than just a districts title. Crossing the line was a mark of how far I’ve come in a year. I’ve met so many people, joined this team, accomplished a bunch of stuff in this sport I never thought I could do. It was also a bit of an ego boost after Redlands, and a feeling of accomplishment knowing I had set a goal and achieved it with my team. I also realized I need a break. I’m burned out. I like racing, I love biking, and I’m gonna take a minute now to figure out what I want to do next.
Kelly and Gina rolled in with the bunch, Kelly outclimbing the rest of the P123s for 3rd and Gina coming in strong in 5th. This win (and all our wins) was made possible by teamwork and I am so thrilled with how we raced this. We won this race because we know how to work together and support each other, and we won this race with smarts and a little bit of strategic climbing power at the end :)
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8980257959
Nutrition: Feed zone was at the base of Papa Bear. I had 6ish clif bloks during the race, half a bottle of maple syrup/water which I tried bc malto makes my stomach hurt but plot twist this also made my stomach hurt, also a full bottle of plain water.
X Ride - 5/4/23
Hello AVers!
I'm excited to announce that the X Ride is back for a second edition! Join us on Thursday, May 4th for another fun loop on XC bikes or gravel bikes if that's all you have. The pace will be 3 w/kg with regroups throughout the ride. We expect the loop to take approximately 90 minutes, depending on the pace of the group.
We will meet at 6:30 am at the same location as last time, Portola/Alpine at Robert's Market. Here is the route for the ride: Strava Route.
If you missed out on the first edition, this is your chance to join in on the fun! And if you were with us last time, we hope to see you again for another great ride.
Don't forget to bring water, snacks, and appropriate gear for the ride. Let's kick off the day with a great workout and some fresh air.
See you on Thursday! Austin
(This email was written by ChatGPT)
*Cancelled* AV Wednesday Intervals 05/03, by AC Coaching
EDIT: Hey all looks like there is a chance of rain tomorrow morning so I am going ahead and cancelling the morning intervals for 5.03 to avoid the wet (yes Im a California weather weenie…) Please feel free to hop on zwift to complete the scheduled workout! Will see you next week! - Lindsey
Hi guys, another week of intervals, with some variations. Short then long then back to short!
Any level is welcome, come and do the effort at YOUR pace. Lindsey and Flo will be here to explain the training, help with pacing, give advice, and answer to any questions. (I’m on holidays in Hong Kong !)
The meet up is at 7.15am
Back down around 8.15am.
Session: Vo2 - 6* 1' @110 - 5' @95% - 6*1'@115
A first block of 6 reps of 1 minute at 110%, 1’ rest. You should be in full control here.
Second block is one rep of 5min just sub threshold at 95%. Building the fatigue. Take 5’ rest.
A last block of 6 reps of 1 minute going higher, at 115%. 1’ rest. Finish stronger than the first block, you have to!
Pace wel the first block of 6 reps, staying in control, at 110%.
Build power slightly higher on 2nd block if you feel good, targeting 115 to 120%.
Route: https://www.strava.com/routes/3049221988200414344?v2=true
Summary: 15 miles / Up&Down Kings. One warm up loop, Manuela/olive hill. After going on Kings for the intervals.
Start: Village Bakery Parking, Woodside. Intersection Canada Road / 84
(Woodside Intersection)
Time: Wednesday 3rd May, Meet 7.10 a.m., Leave 7:15 a.m.
Ride etiquette: https://www.altovelo.org/ride-rules
Ride Leader: Lindsey Raven
AV Wednesday Intervals 04/26, by AC Coaching
Hi guys, new week of intervals, a classic 2 minutes repeats.
Any level is welcome, come and do the effort at YOUR pace. Lindsey and Flo will be here to explain the training, help with pacing, give advice, and answer to any questions. (I’m on holidays in Hong Kong !)
The meet up is at 7.15am
Back down around 8.15am.
Session: Vo2 - 8 reps of (2’ @110-115, 2’ rest)
8 repeats of 2' effort @110%. 2' rest.
Pace weel the first 4 reps, staying in control, at 110%. 5' rest after the 4th rep.
Build power slightly higher from 5th rep if you feel good, targetting 115 to 120%.
If you are in a week between races, keep the 2 minutes easier (90-100%). Keep a good technique, efficient cadence, play with your gears, fuel well!
Route: https://www.strava.com/routes/3049221988200414344?v2=true
Summary: 15 miles / Up&Down Kings. One warm up loop, Manuela/olive hill. After going on Kings for the intervals.
Start: Village Bakery Parking, Woodside. Intersection Canada Road / 84
(Woodside Intersection)
Time: Wednesday 26th April, Meet 7.10 a.m., Leave 7:15 a.m.
Ride etiquette: https://www.altovelo.org/ride-rules
Ride Leader: Lindsey Raven, Flo Costa