Had a cool Gran Fondo race in Boone NC last Sunday. First race since finishing RAAM in June. I still feel the power loss mainly during the final sprint i. The time sections. The good news was that I could keep power consistent during every climb. Had a few new PR’s on strava which shows I am getting back to normal power levels step by step. It was a fun race riding together with a friend. 15th out of 45 in my age group is acceptable to me for this race.
Many see us racers to fight races such as RAAM or other Ultra-Distance races. The crew most often is somehow in the background when reports go online about the races. It is us racers who get most of the attention.
Funny as it is … preparing for such races is a bit deal. It requires insane amount of training and focus on the race itself. What’s hard to see is that it also requires to find a great crew to get the best possible support. The crew is the key factor for us to complete such races. It’s not just driving the support cars … it’s helping with navigation to assure a racer does not make mistakes or misses a turn. It’s also all the help to prepare and provide proper nutrition and help us to get ready for sleep breaks as well as keeping our bikes in good shape and prepare for bike or wheel swapping. It’s hard to mention all activities done by the support crew. However, one very critical to me is besides of what I mentioned to make sure the racer stays focused and in good mood. It’s a lot of motivation that takes pace by great crew members. I learned that in numerous Ultra-Distance races and specifically at RAAM as well as in lots of my training rides.
In 2023 I was not able to finish RAAM and got out after 2145 miles due to not being able to recover from food poisoning. I had an amazing crew helping me and trying to get me through the race. The issue was related to simple not testing myself what proper nutrition would be best for me.
So, after 2023 RAAM I was wondering if I could ever get such great crew together again. Luckily my Crew chief Heidi supported me also for 2024 and helped specifically getting a great crew together again. Also, I was happy that Dee was able to make it again as she also supported me in other Races. So we ended up getting a great 7 person crew together again with additional members such as Victoria, Barbara, Dave, Carlos and Mark (on purpose I leave the last names off). Unfortunately, after the first few days Barbara had to leave due to family needs. So, we continued and finished with an overall 6-person crew. What was impressive again … most crew members never met each other before. So, it took a day or two and everything worked well. Main reason for it was because every single person worked for one goal only … getting me across the finish line in time. That by itself is very impressive. It’s a very tough task being on crew for races such as RAAM or even any 500-mile race. As a racer I cannot say how much I appreciate all their support. They motivated me when I was mentally struggling. They helped me with verity of nutrition. Also made sure my bikes are always ready as well as the lights and if needed the spare wheels. And not to forget they always had very motivating comments making sure I am focused on the race and in some cases when I was getting to suborn and was already way too tired for riding … they made sure I got off the bike and take a rest.
Overall I cannot say how thankful I am with such great crews I had in 2023 and again in 2024. Yes I am the one riding the 3065 miles but the crew made sure I could do that .
Getting a cycling coach for RAAM preparation. Many see the racer and to some degree the crew involved in a race like RAAM. What’s in the background most often is the coach involved to get the racer prepared and helping the crew with advice. So After DNF RAAM 2023 (not related to my training condition ... since it was my nutrition issue). Unfortunately a DNF is and remains a DNF . So I was thinking hard to what’s my next step. And decided to contact Giovanni Prosperi who I met before in Texas and learned that he was successful coaching racers for RAAM and other ultra cycling races. Funny as it was Giovanni honestly told me that he thinks I can complete RAAM without help but I wanted a better approach in my training and a better approach in how to run RAAM in 2024. So, I got an agreement and Giovanni start coaching me. And I am glad he did. He honestly pulled me back a lot and focused on more quality training instead of only quantity-based training as I was guided to do before. Admitting it took me a while and sometimes I keep making mistakes occasionally. He finally made sure that I do not push daily … I start more structured training with proper recovery rides in between. That improved my TFP from previous coach’s 240 watts to almost 280 watts. And more important … I had my first great success winning the Psycho48 ride with about 60 mile lead. Admitting I was impressed. The next successes have been an improvement from 3rd to second place in Florida500 and a victory in Texas Longhorn500. So finally comparing my training I kept focusing on proper mix of interval training for power improvements and endurance training to keep endurance level high. The cool thing was that Giovanny himself is still an active ultra distance racer. He made good recommendations to race strategy and nutrition. Plus, RAAM 2024 getting closer we went to a final training session at higher altitude in Colorado. I felt much better prepared for RAAM and what’s even more important … despite the very extreme weather conditions I was able to quickly adjust targets and stay focused on the race. My legs never felt bad and with Giovanni’s help the new approach got me across the finish line in time. Many might think it’s something we can do ourselves … yep .. possibly … But reality is if having a coach knowing what to prepare for makes sure we get proper structured training. That helped me a lot and I am still very happy to have accomplished RAAM and even better currently on second place of WUCA (World Ultra Cycling Association) WorldCup. Race season is not over yet and I am sure I will learn more from Giovanni. I was impressed about him honestly pulling me back when I overdid it and pushing me where needed. Great person and amazingly good coach helping to reach an insane target such as RAAM Solo finishing.
