Race Report; JCRC Stage 7 – Shuzenji CCC.

1 year ago to the day,
 Ludwig 2009 D-Class Champ
Mob 2008 D-Class Champ

Exactly one year to the day I was here, stood silently as I watched the top riders in S-Class storm through the finishing area in a perfect line. One rider broke off from the group and sprinted through, the others happy to let him go.

I was in awe as these riders ate up the kilometers on one of the hardest course of the JCRC series and even Ludwig and Michael, veterans and series champion winners of the JCRC series nodded approvingly as they went past.

Today, I’m up in the grandstand overlooking the course and watching the lower ranked riders go through their rituals before the race. I’m humming a tune as I go through my 30km warm up on the rollers, trying to keep the heart rate in the 150bmp zone and the heat is relentless even in the shelter of the grandstand.

Several competitors and friends spotted me, and we make chat, catching up on events that have happened since we last raced one another, many aware that I now race in the Fuji-Cyclingtime.com colours and they congratulate me on getting a slot on the team.

Everyone is careful not to overstep the mark and intrude to long on each other’s rituals.

The S-Class race was at 10:00am and already heat mirages were dancing over the course. Out of the 45 riders that signed up, 5 decided to not race due to the oppressive heat and humidity and this may have been the intelligent choice, but with only 5 races till the end of the season and needing desperately to get as many points as possible to contest the series championships I had no choice but to race in the oppressive conditions.

Straight from the gun the pace was fast, this could have something to do with the Peloton having several Domestic and Continental Pro’s in its ranks and with no shelter or shade from the sun riders started to fall off the back of the Peloton by the 3rd lap.

I was actually feeling very strong even with the little sleep I got on Thursday and Friday night and I was happily maintaining the pace in the heat.

By Lap 5 I was starting to feel the effects of the high pace and even more so from the heat, which must have been close to 40c on the course. Slowly but surely on the climbs I started to lose ground, causing me to play catch up on the descents this yo-yoed for 2 more laps before I finally lost contact with them on one of the long grueling climbs along the back edge of the course.

It’s probably the most depressing thing to be dropped by the Peloton, knowing that you are no longer able to benefit from drafting and I saw some other riders remove their race numbers ending their race there and then on side of the roads.

For me it’s over when I’m told by the outriders or I physically can’t go on, so watching these riders quit galvanized me to push myself harder. Gritting my teeth I continued to keep my heart in the 180’s and continued to race, before long I started catching other riders that had been chewed up and spat out the back of the Peloton and it invigorated me to push harder and not let up on the climbs. Several tried to jump my wheel but had no gas left in the tank to keep the pace and I left them in my wake as I slowly ate up the kilometers.

All the time I was worried that the leading riders would lap me and thus end my chances of taking the points I so desperately need in the series.

I caught and passed another S-class rider in the Astana team colours and he jumped on my wheel on the back climb, suddenly he launched off the back of me and went for it and before long he was gone. I continued catching and passing other S-class riders only worrying about my pace and keeping at it on the climbs, but always giving it that little extra gas to make theem work for my wheel, some tried but most didn't locked in thier own personal race against the clock.

On the last lap and I was thinking “This is where they will catch me” I put rubber to road and pushed the heart rate higher, reeling in another 2 riders on the climb out of the starting area. Cresting the highest point alone I dropped back down only to spy the Astana guy again, passing him for the second time we battled our own personal race up that long grueling climb in the heat.

I realised that If I could stop him from passing me I would be able to get a lead on him in the descent (Being heavier has its benefits, especially when gravity is involved) I think he sensed what I had planned and tried to pass, we snaked up that climb with me defending my wheel and I reached the apex of the climb slightly ahead of him and took off down the final descent my heart and lungs ready to burst.

At the bottom I had a 6 meter lead on him and I realised that if I attacked now and put another 5 or 6 meters between us he may just give up on taking me. Putting my last efforts on the climb to the line I took him completely by surprise and opened another 10 meters on him.

Looking under my legs I knew he was done and he did not contest the sprint, I crossed the line exhausted not knowing my placement, guessing that I had finished around 20th and most probably out of the points.

I could hardly stand up in the heat and without the flow of air around my body cooling me I need to drop my core temp. Fortunately Shuzenji has a trough like drinking water zone and the cold water pouring down my neck and head was bliss.

Finally able to think I sat down in the shade and rehydrated, my only worry being that of finishing within the required time and collecting the 140 points. I was amazed to find out from Kaori that I had not only got my points but that I had finished 8th overall!

With the 156 points for 8th place I’m now the race leader in the JCRC S-class series by 53 points and only 4 more races left!

The Official JCRC Results can be found here

Tsukino Race Report; Shuzenji CCC K-Class

Day 2 was the JCRC K-Class race and the usual suspects were there minus Yato-kun who had moved up, but she would race Haru again and hopefully pip him to the post again.

She was in 3rd place for the majority of the race until the last corner of lap 2 where one of the boys crashed right in front of her due to his pedal clipping. She was able to avoid hitting him showing excellent bike handling skills.

Haru seized the opportunity and squeezed through, immediately putting space between himself and Tsukino who had managed to get around the downed rider and back in to the race.

She was pushing very hard & gaining ground on the leaders but with the K-class being only 3 laps she ran out of track and finished 5th overall and 2nd in the girls giving her a second podium slot for the weekend.

Great results for Tsukino!

Tsukino Race Report; Kid’s Criterium

We arrived at the Continental Cycling Centre in Shuzenji on the 21st for Tsukino to participate in the Kids Criterium race, anyone that has kids I highly recommend these races!!!

She was a bit nervous as she didn’t really know anyone there but as soon as Haru from Team Beach arrived she cheered up.These races are a lot more popular and more regular than the JCRC events and normally held most weekends at the Shuzenji Continental Cycling Center.

Tsukino gains on 2nd wheel.

Tsukino’s race was made up of 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade elementary students, all but 1 were boys. The course is a little tough a`s it’s a slight climb followed by a descent and is one lap longer than what Tsukino is used to in the JCRC series, however this was to play to her advantage.

She set off at an impressive pace, having warmed up earlier and decided that she would big ring it for the entire race. Halfway up the first climb she had settles in to a good pace and made 3rd wheel by the first corner.

Catching him on the climb
She puts distance between them

I was impressed to see her go in to the drops on the decent as this is something she doesn’t normally do and it made a big difference in her average speeds. Looping around through the start and finish she continued to put distance between herself and 4th.

The heat was starting to have an effect on all the riders but Tsukino battled on passing 3rd wheel on the first climb of the 3rd lap. It’s evident that Tsukino prefers the longer distance races and is able to maintain a much higher average over the longer races. (She did ride 32km at Miyake Jima Earth Ride so it’s no surprise really!)

She defended 2nd place very well for the remainder of the race and on the final lap pushed hard crossing the line in 2nd place and 1st in her category.

The Shirt On My Back

I announced earlier this month that I have signed with Fuji Cyclingtime.com and things are rapidly escalating in regards to racing commitments and training.

But some of you have voiced a desire to see the kit, now although I don’t have the bike yet the summer/autumn kit has arrived and I have to say its bloody great!

The team is sponsored by F2P, makers of top of the line sports clothing and I’ve used their kit for several years now and have always been impressed.

Jersey and Bibs

The FujiCyclingtime.com kit is European race fit, just the way I love it. I’m very fussy about the neckline as I hate anything that feels restrictive. The F2P kit isn’t and I have no issue with wearing the jersey fully zipped even in the summer heat as its fully breathable and fast wicking pulling the sweat off the skin allowing the body to keep a balanced temperature.

The bib shorts have to be the most comfortable I have ever worn and in 30 odd years of riding I’ve worn my fair share! Again these are race cut and tight, offering compression benefits to the thighs and the hams and will hopefully help decrease the risk of cramping, something that’s been a recent concern during the summer months.

The non slip leg cuffs are also great and even in hot conditions when you are sweating profusely don’t ride up, for me this is essential as I hate anything that distracts me while riding and having shorts riding up can be pretty uncomfortable.

The other great feature is the multi-layered padding, as a user of a 100% carbon saddle I rely purely on the padding of the shorts to absorb any knocks or bumps while riding. The F2P shorts offer the best comfort while also remaining non restrictive in all positions.

The Gilet

Now, I’ve not been a huge fan of Gilet’s as I tend to overheat very quickly in them but the Fuji Cyclingtime.com Gilet has addressed this concern and have designed one with a Goretex front, side and shoulder and a mesh back and for me this is a perfect styling. Great to see that F2P listens to its riders and designs top notch kit!

The other great touch is the wind proof invisible zip, giving the rider maximum protection from wind chill on descents or in intermediate weather and also the reflective strip running across the back.

Last but not least are the arm warms, I’m a huge fan of arm warmers due to the ability to overheat when wearing several layers and the F2P models do not disappoint. The non-slip grip around the top cuff are the same as the shorts and again great on the skin and don’t chafe.

I’ve had a chance to do some long distances and some short sharp sprint training in the gear and it’s like a second skin, well thought out and designed while offering the best fabrics on the market for serious athletes who not only demand the best but also need it to give them that competitive edge.

Great work F2P!

Some Like It Hot

With the kids home for Obon getting some proper training in is pretty hard and I was unable to join my new Fuji Cyclingtime.com team mates Matthieu and Masa-san on this mornings ride, thank goodness for the rollers and resistance training.

Today I took the plunge and turned off the air conditioner and set about a 30km time trial with the resistance set at 1 on the rollers, which is a about a 2% gradient. Within about 5 minutes the sweat was pouring off me soaking the bars and the floor.

My plan was to keep a steady 40km/h but as I was feeling good and my heart rate in the low 150’s I decided to push it a bit harder and really focus on my pedaling technique while remaining in the drops.

Every 4km I would sprint to the 5km mark trying to maintain the highest speed possible as well as an elevated heart rate. The sprint technique I used was to bring my speed to the highest possible while in the saddle and once reaching that apex, exploding out of the saddle head down. This normally happened in the last 200m and I was able to get the speed up to around 73km/h.

Sounds spectacular but on the rollers the only impedance is that of the unit and not headwind or resistance created by my own forward force. On the road this would probably equate to my normal sprinting speed of around 60km/h.

After completing the 30km in 39 minutes I was drenched in sweat and beat but feeling good with the time.

I’ve been removing the spacers on my headset bit by bit and staying in the drops I found this a lot more comfortable than before and will probably remove the last spacer on the raiser tube making the stem flush with the headset, although I will need to play around more with the saddle settings to get the perfect fit and comfort benefits. This will give me a much lower and aerodynamic profile and it’s been something that’s taken a good 4 months to get right and more importantly comfortable with.

Pro–Tip: Wheel Maintenance

During the rainy season here in Japan you are more than likely to get caught out in a shower and this comes as a blessing 9/10 as an escape from the heat. But if you are like me one of the worst things is having to clean the brake sludge and road dirt off the braking surface of your clinchers

Now most of the time a good wash with a degreaser will get the majority of the sludge off but there are times where you just can’t budge that grime, especially if it’s been left on for several days or baked hard in the heat.
This is where a simple graphite eraser comes to the rescue. Mavic and other company’s make a graphite block but it’s 250 times the cost or if you ski/snowboard the graphite block used for cleaning the rails is a perfect alternative. All you need to do is just rub down the braking surface following the lines that where milled on to the surface. You won’t need a lot of pressure to do this and it may need 1 or 2 complete rotations to get it looking new again.

One of the great things about this though is during the course of a year you will clip things, like rocks, curbs or gratings that will damage the finish of the surface and the graphite eraser is coarse enough to remove these, leaving your rim in tip top condition.

Another benefit is the fact that your braking performance will greatly increase as will the heat conductivity of the wheel, allowing them to cool more rapidly.

You may find that it gets rid of that annoying squeal when braking, especially if you accidentally got lubricant or degreaser on the rims it will also prolong the life of your break blocks.

Tsukino Fan Club Update

Pro-Lite have released another update off their junior riders and Tsukino featured again in this news letter that is sent out to Pro-Lite distributors and shops all over the world.

Although I do appologise as there is a small mention of me joining the Fuji-Cyclingtime.com Team.

Head on over to the Pro-Lite website for the full update on Tsukino.

Also one more bit of news, Tsukino will be competing in two days of racing on the 21st and 22nd of August. On August 21st she will race in the CSC Critérium at Shuzenji followed by Stage 7 of the JCRC series on the 22nd at the same location.

Emporium Of Surprises

My local bike store is an emporium of surprises; it has to be the only European style store in Japan and has been run by the family for 3 generations.

Their link to the cycling industry is obscure and when I ask them they tend to talk around the subject. The fact that they had one of Miguel Indurain's Pinarello’s from the 1990’s TDF and the fact that they aren’t a Pinarello dealer will give you a small idea to what I’m talking about.

As I mentioned before it’s full of surprises and each time I go there I spot something new while looking for bits and pieces.

Today me and my Team mate from HIGH5 Pro-Lite Racing stopped off to have some lunch and while talking I suddenly spotted some rather interesting Olive Oil bottles on the shelf.

It turns out that this olive oil is made by the Cinelli family. Not only that but it also drew my eye to some other items on the shelf particularly some original photos. These were of Angelo Fausto Coppi, not only that but originals!

Many of these are of the Milano Sanremo and Giro della Campania, I'm not sure if they are copies or originals taken from a paper but the fact that I have been coming to this shop for near on 9 years and I've only just found them is a treasure in it's self.

I think I need to take a better camera now everytime I go to the store as there is always something new and exciting just waiting to be discovered!