Today was my 3rd Tuesday night Crit, and for the 5 or 6 of you that actually read this, cycling is actually going much better for me. I have put in some really solid training the last month and lost 7 or 8 pounds. My legs have consistently been feeling good, cardio is good, and as a result of my wife working CRAZY hours the last month I have had a lot of extra time to put in hard work.
Something that has been very hard for me to learn about cycling is the strongest, most fit person with the best equipment does not always win, or place... or sometimes finish. I have seen some of my teammates go out and get blown away by people they were in much better shape than. How does this happen? The answer is their timing... when they decide to use an effort. A cyclists body is like a book of matches, and every-time they use an effort another match is gone. The key is to use these matches at the perfect time, and this has been my fatal flaw almost every single time I have competed. Granted in the beginning it was also because I was in terrible shape, but now I am starting to put myself in the right positions and actually give myself a chance to succeed.
Tonight I blew half of my book of matches at the completely wrong time. The mistake was a very stupid one. It is 11:30 on Tuesday night and I still can't sleep because I am so disgusted. It's just training, and really not that big of a deal, but when I have the right amount of gas in the tank, and just choose the wrong time to use it I become VERY disappointed. Cycling is more mental than I would have ever thought, very competitive and very satisfying. Lately I have been given a lot of good advice, and am very thankful to have the insight that I do. I am a week and a half away from my next race and can't wait to see what the outcome is.
Yeah, very good point. Use those matches wisely so you can burn the competition at just the right time. (That sounds cheesy/good.)
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, you are hard on yourself which can be good and bad at the same time. Stick with it and it'll all come together at some point. It is training and practice thus far. I know I keep learning new stuff every week and I'm sure that will be the case for quite a while (or forever, probably).
...sometimes I can't sleep 'cause Cody's still playing his Xbox live! Hang in there Andrew!
ReplyDeleteGood stuff! Yup, burning matches at the wrong time will certainly put you in a bind. Think about everything you do as burning a match... If you have to bridge a gap in a road race, you just burned a match, if you have to pull for your team, you just burned another one. If you find yourself in the back of the pack sprinting out of corners in what we call the "accordion effect" you're burning matches at every turn. Try to do everything you can to conserve those matches. That's really the key in cycling.
ReplyDeleteJust hang in there. You're doing great and just sticking with it through the beginning (which is the toughest part) will end up contributing massively to your ability.