Tuesday August 23rd Training RideThe Wheelsucker Report

After tiring himself at Church Creek and hanging on for two races at Dawg Days, the Wheelsucker was apprehensive about the Tuesday “training” ride.

He arrived early and warmed up with one quick lap behind the Park & Ride with Eric Boone, trying to get his stiff legs and lower back moving. It was a very large group at rollout, and it quickly broke up into several groups just after the left turn onto Rossback Road, with cars inserting themselves between the gropus – just as the Wheelsucker had almost chased onto the back of the lead group – making it difficult for the chase groups to catch on the back of the group ahead.

While some may be comfortable passing a car on the right at speed, the Wheelsucker is not. It seemed to the Wheelsucker that the lead group was going fast, so the chase groups were too.

But the cars eventually passed all the separate groups, and it was "groupo compacto" shortly before reaching 214.

The Wheelsucker decided Ace was clearly planning something for Harwood Hill, as Ace had just pulled through and over on his last pull before the hill. And as he dropped back Ace told the Wheelsucker to "be smart." The Wheelsucker has not yet figured out what being smart means in this situation or most others he comes across in cycling. Can anyone help the Wheelsucker with this? He really would like to be smarter…

Kyle Pittman was now on the front with the Wheelsucker riding second wheel. The Wheesucker was expecting Kyle to pull through and over soon, so that the Wheelsucker could pull through and over, and get back on someone's wheel, somewhere close to Ace, before the climb started. But Kyle pulled all the way to the start of the climb, and eased over early in the climb. The Wheelsucker did not want to pull through over and off just after the start of the climb and be rotating back when Ace or someone else attacked, so he stayed on the front holding level with Kyle, at a good but-not-the-maximum-Wheelsucker pace. The Wheelsucker doubted this was "being smart", but was not sure what else to do in the circumstances.

The Wheelsucker was not at all surprised when Eric and Ace launched about half way up, sprinting by everyone and quickly opening a gap. This prompted a desperate reaction from everyone around the Wheelsucker. Kyle Pittman was just to the Wheelsucker’s left (the Wheelsucker had not tried to get in front of him and pull off) and went hard after them as did the Wheelsucker and several other riders. The Wheelsucker had been careful to not go quite as hard as he could up the climb, so he was able to accelerate, just not enough!

No one made it up to Eric and Ace, and the one or two riders furthest ahead eased up at the top of Harwood Hill to let the group reform. Eric and Ace had a nice gap and were busy extending it as riders in the chase caught their breath. But it was a large chase group (almost the entire group as few had been dropped so far) with lots of decent riders, albeit no one who could stay with Eric and Ace. The chase ramped it up with some stronger riders on the front, and started to close the gap. After some hard work Eric and Ace were finally caught just after the turn onto route 2, as Chris Adair rolled by them with the Wheelsucker on his wheel. Next on the menu was the South Polling House stair step climb, so when Chris pulled off the Wheelsucker pulled through and over and sat up to let someone else do the work.

Sure enough Eric attacked on the downhill, but the Wheelsucker was able to get to his wheel with both coasting into the sweeping left just before the climb starts, in their most aero tuck positions. The Wheelsucker yelled “inside” to warn Eric that he was there and rolled by and into the climb in the lead. The Wheelsucker was trying to go at a sustainable – for the Wheelsucker – pace but that was not enough to stop attacks. One rider (not Eric or Ace) sprinted by halfway up the first step and opened a gap but then eased up. The Wheelsucker made sure he was following a good wheel and also had room to jump to one side or the other, and hung on. Near the top the lone rider was dangling just a few bike lengths ahead and a cocky Wheelsucker jumped out of line and sprinted up the second step, to lead at the base of the third. Knowing he was in good position he eased up, found a wheel, and was about third in line at the turn onto Bayard.

Given the attacks so far the Wheelsucker was CONVINCED that more attacks from Eric and Ace were imminent, and was careful to pull through and over each time he got to the front, as well as help other riders out by letting them in ahead of him, as they were rotating back (this also helped prevent the Wheelsucker actually ever getting to the front of the paceline). The group was quite large, and it took awhile to drift to the back and then it required a big effort to accelerate to catch on. The Wheelsucker was doing everything he could to go easy and save something so he could have a shot at following the big attack.

The fast pace continued for the loop. The Wheelsucker continued to take very short pulls and get off the front as quickly as possible. At the golf course false flat a tired Wheelsucker pulled through and saw a smiling energizer bunny (Eric Boone) come by and quickly drive the pace up. "Can’t someone else figure out how to slow this guy down!", thought the Wheelsucker; though that may not be quite the phrase he used to Eric.

It was still "groupo compacto" at the right turn back onto South Polling House. The Wheelsucker was sure Eric and Ace would attack on the stair step. When the pace eased up just after the turn, Bob Walters, the Wheelsucker and two or three others found themselves slightly ahead of the pack. The Wheelsucker thought a head start for the stair step climb would be useful and encouraged the others to drive the pace. This small group got to the bottom with a small gap and the Wheelsucker found himself leading up the climb. It did occur to the Wheelsucker that there were only three hard climbs in the entire ride and he had led for all or part of each, and was wondering why… but part way up a hard climb is not a good time to ease up, so the Wheelsucker continued at max-sustainable-Wheelsucker-power, hoping to shake some riders loose and be well positioned at the top, or at least close enough to the strong guys to grab a wheel.

But no one came around the Wheelsucker. A quick look over his shoulder near the top revealed the entire group on his wheel. The Wheelsucker’s best effort had failed to shake ANYONE loose.

An exhausted Wheelsucker pulled off as Ace came by saying, “good job”. The Wheelsucker only just managed to grab a wheel and hang on.

The group was still so large that it took awhile to get to the back and it was hard to accelerate to catch on. But not everyone was rotating, so one could get an opening without going all the way to the back.

There was a split on a Bayard climb when the Wheelsucker was about eighth in line and opened a gap to let a guy rotating back, in, in front of the Wheelsucker, just as the leaders accelerated. The rider being let in had to dig deep to catch on and the Wheelsucker was slightly gapped and had to dig very deep to get back on his wheel. And the gap opened behind the Wheelsucker. But the group behind chased back on before the right turn onto Sands.

Since they had not attacked on the stairstep, the Wheelsucker decided Ace and Eric would go on the second bump on Sands, one of Ace’s favorite attack points. Despite trying hard to stay off the front, the Wheelsucker found himself on the front very shortly before that bump bump, so immediately pulled off and over and back and positioned himself close behind Ace. Ace started to move up and sensing the imminent attack, the Wheelsucker also moved up several positions. But there was no attack on the second bump. And there was no attack on the short climb to the left turn at the end of Sands though the group did fracture. A car approaching from the right slowed the leaders down and the group reformed on Patuxent River Road, with two riders going hard to get a small gap. Ace and Eric were both in the main group. Feeling that he would not be attacked, the Wheelsucker accelerated, closed part of the gap and quickly pulled off to let someone else to most of the work to bring them back.

It was "group compacto" at the sweeping right turn in the dip. The Wheelsucker was certain Ace and Eric would attack on the climb, and was carefully following wheels preparing for a supreme effort to hang on. Some riders were gapped on the climb, but there were no attacks and the entire group reformed at the red light on 214.

The Wheelsucker had had to go very hard for short intervals to stay on a wheel during a surge, but had done very little time at the front and his average power and HR numbers were looking fairly good.

He was careful to reposition himself far away from the front as the group rolled on the green light. But finally as the finish line approached, the Wheelsucker found himself up to third wheel. Sara Clafferty took a solid pull and pulled off for Bob Walters. Bob pulled hard to the top of one of the bumps and pulled off. Not wanting to be criticized for being a complete slacker, the Wheelsucker put his head down, got as low as possible and made a major – for the Wheelsucker – effort before pulling over. A quick check over his shoulder revealed only two riders on his wheel and a small gap to the main field. Yelling, "we’ve got a gap!" to encourage the other two to go hard, the Wheelsucker strained to grab on to the second rider's rear wheel, and hoped they would go hard enough to keep the gap. A couple of very quick rotations later it was the Wheelsucker’s turn to pull again, but he noted that they had been caught, so pulled over instead.

It was still a very large group, so the Wheelsucker drifted back looking for a spot to pull in, and was given one about half way back. Another big – for the Wheelsucker – effort and he was safely onto a wheel.

The finish line was getting closer. The Wheelsucker decided he was too far back for the sprint, so pulled out and accelerated past a bunch of guys coming out of the penultimate dip and early on the flat, and then jammed his way back into line. He was now about eighth or tenth in line. The Wheelsucker did not even know whose wheel he was on. Eric was leading out; does this surprise anyone? The rider in front of the Wheelsucker decided to go early from the bottom of the last dip so he pulled out and launched with the Wheelsucker on his wheel. That rider took the Wheelsucker almost all the way to the finish, pulling both of them by Eric's train.

Very close the finish line (inside 100 meters) the Wheelsucker’s lead out man (it turns out it was Spencer Seibert) finally died after his long hard effort, and the Wheelsucker launched at maximum Wheelsucker power. Almost immediately Ace and three other riders came flying by on the Wheelsucker’s left (guys who can actually sprint)... but the Wheelsucker rolled across fourth or fifth, successfully passing his leadout man.

This was a very fast ride (over 25 mph average from about 214 to the finish), very hard at times, but not super hard overall, as the group was so large the Wheelsucker was rarely was on the front.

It turned out that Eric was hobbled by a cracked rib (suffered in a crash when a car pulled out in his path a few weeks ago), while Ace was quite tired from a long hard ride before the training ride even started. While that may explain why all the attacks the Wheelsucker was expecting and preparing for never actually materialized, it does not explain how easily Eric and Ace dropped everyone else on Harwood Hill.

No riders were attacked by dead squirrels.

Wheelsucker Data:
The Wheelsucker was too busy wheelsucking to set an interval start at either the first crossing of the finish line (just after Governor Bridge Road) or at 214, but did set an interval shortly after crossing 214 and ended that interval at the finish line.

Interval data:
Duration: 1:04:45
Distance: 27.1 miles
Elevation gain: 910 feet
Average power: 227 watts, max power: 865 watts (the Wheelsucker’s CP30seconds for the ride was at the "sprint" and was a paltry 496 watts), normalized power: 276 watts
Average HR: 145 bpm, max HR: 166 bpm (Wheelsucker max HR is about 173 bpm)
Average cadence: 98 rpm
Average speed: 25.09 mph

Tuesday August 16th Training RideThe Dead Squirrel Attack

Be afraid, be very afraid. They are out there, lying in wait for you.

The Wheelsucker had an ideal workout description from his coach:
"Sit on the back today. Don't get in the way, hang off the back of the rotation and even drop back a group if necessary. Use it like a motorpacing session - high cadence, steady - but not excessive pace."
Official sanction for not taking pulls; the Wheelsucker pays his coach good money to get that.

So the group rolled out slowly at first, with the Wheeluscker near the back. The Wheelsucker may have accidentally rotated to the front once early in the ride, but mindful of his coach’s instructions, immediately pulled over and got tucked in near the back. But some rider with yellow Mavic shoes so bright it made it hard to see, started frequently going off the front, with the lead group – towing the Wheelsucker – accelerating to bring him back. When the leaders surged close to Harwood Hill gapping half the group, the Wheelsucker just looked around for someone else to close the gap, and sure enough Bob and Michele did the work and the group reformed at the base of Harwood Hill.

The Wheelsucker was still near the back – through the group was smaller – after the turn onto South Polling House. And then, while hammering down the descent before the stairstep climb, sticking like glue to the back wheel in front of him, the Wheelsucker was attacked by a squirrel. Dead squirrels lying in the road do not normally attack anything even when you roll over them. But this squirrel somehow got up from the pavement, got a grip on the Wheelsucker's front tire, and rode the tire up to the fork. The squirrel was too big to fit through the front fork and brake caliper, but it sure tried, getting halfway through before becoming firmly stuck. The Wheelsucker watched in horror expecting the front wheel to lock up at any moment. Doing close to 35 mph downhill, the Wheelsucker was expecting the very next thing after the front wheel stopped turning was his launch over the handlebars. He squeezed the rear brake and got as far back on the bike as he could.
The squirrel stayed put at the fork, sliding on the front tire – though bits of squirrel fur and flesh were flying off him and landing on the fork, the frame, the front wheel, and the Wheelsucker – and the front wheel kept turning. The Wheelsucker rolled to a stop and then had to undo the front skewer and remove the front wheel to extricate the squirrel – or what was left of him -- who dropped back onto the pavement whence he had come from.

While the Wheelsucker had showered in the morning and had been wearing freshly laundered kit, it was immediately apparent that the squirrel had not showered recently. Indeed the squirrel's BO was quite noticeable. So noticeable that just the bits of squirrel stuck to the bike and rider were exuding BO.
The Wheelsucker joined up with two other gapped riders and headed for the Park & Ride, shortcutting the route by leaving out the loop. He stopped at the red light at 214 and immediately noticed the “dead squirrel essence” wafting off the bike and him. Fortunately the green came soon, and forward motion took care of the problem for the moment.

Once back at the Park & Ride, the remaining contents of the Wheelsucker's water bottles were consumed rinsing squirrel off the bike and the Wheelsucker. Later, the bike was carefully hosed off and washed and the kit thrown in the laundry pile. This morning the Wheelsucker was unable to determine if there was still any "squirrel essence" coming off the bike.

That squirrel had guts ...