Getting "Slippery"

After deciding upon the goal of attempting to ride sub 2min 30sec for the 2000m Pursuit, I sat down and made a list of every area of potential improvement from physiological (training) and technical (how I manage and pace my ride), to equipment (how "fast" and aero my bike, position and clothing is)

Turned out to be quite a list, and going through the potential time gains (using conservative estimates), it seems there are some places where I might even be able to eke out some "free speed"! Gotta love that idea.

First area I tackled was to try to reduce my CdA (coefficient of drag) by changing my position on the bike. Previously I had just thrown some TT bars on my bike and gone with that.

Knowing that at high speed somewhere between 80% and 90% of the power one produces is "wasted" on pushing through the air, this was an obvious starting point if I was ever going to find some of this "free speed".

I'm very fortunate to have a world class indoor velodrome about an hours drive from my home. The Dunc Gray Velodrome, venue for track cycling at the 2000 Olympics. Perfect for some controlled aerodynamic testing.

If you subscibe to some of the various power training forums around the place, you may have seen some posts from a couple of gentlemen by the names of Robert Chung and Alex Simmons. They have either developed or refined a couple of techniques for using power data to determine the effectiveness of changes to position and equipment.

Now Alex just happens to be a club mate of mine (I transfered to Bicisport last year) and somewhat of a whizz with maths and computers, so I prevailed upon him to help me out with analysis of the data I produced in several test sessions. Gotta say he was very patient, 'cos the first couple of sessions I spent on the track returned some inconclusive data which frustrated both of us a bit I think. But it was all a learning experience.

In all, I spent three separate four-hour test days on the velodrome. It was necessary to have accurate records of atmospheric conditions for each test, i.e. temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and to note any major changes to these during the testing.

I used my existing track bike (that's another story), standard 32 spoke training wheels with Power Tap hub and (very "slow") high pressure training tyres, standard helmet and skinsuit.

The two test protocols used were a regression method which involved quite a few runs at varying speeds, and the "Chung" method which is basically a continuous ride with speed not necessarily held to a constant.

Alex was interested in testing the two methods back to back to see how they fit, and it seemed to me that the more info we got from either method, the better off I would be.

So that is what we went with. Unfortunately the first two sessions resulted in some iffy data, partly due to the fact that I discovered (after the first session) some loose torx head bolts in the Power tap hub. This is apparently something that can happen when using a Power Tap in fixed gear configuration.

Anyway, after having seen my photos taken during the nationals, I thought my position was to "bunched", too high and too wide. So all I was testing on each of these days at the track, was a single change in bar set-up.

I went 1cm lower, 6cm narrower and extended the aero bars out to within 1cm of the UCI limit (the ends 75cm in front of centre of bottom bracket).
I'll try to get some before and after photos on here at some stage when I can figure out how to do it.

So, what did all this testing show up? Well the position I used at Nationals produced a CdA of 0.0245 and using the regression method, my "new" position yielded CdA of0.235. Using the Chung method, CdA 0.238 .......so .0003 between the two (~1%). That's as good a correlation as I would want.

So I'm now about 3% "more slippery", and just quietly, I reckon there might be a little bit more to be found (e.g. I can go narrower with my elbows with comfort, to more closely follow the contour of my thighs). But all the time spent was definitely worthwhile. Alex predicts that this reduction in CdA is worth ~.4kph of speed and ~1.5sec over 2000m (I was beaten into silver medal position at Nationals by .33sec!)

Incidentally, I did a couple of runs in each position at something approaching cruising speed for my targeted time and the "new" position required 15watts less at 48.9kph (429w compared to 444w).

I'm looking at purchasing a new frame and forks later in the year seeing as what I am using now is a $200 special I got off eBay. I got hold of a second hand rear disc and I used a borrowed front disc at Nationals. I've bought some lycra shoe covers and have a Giro TT helmet. Jeez, these are going to be the most expensive few seconds I have ever "bought".

Next post I will go into a little detail of the training I have been doing in recent times and the races I have pencilled in for the lead-up to the Worlds in October.

Where I am.....where I'm going.

I've decided to create this blog (my first try) to document my training as I attempt to get as close as possible to a sub 2min 30sec for the 2000m Individual Pursuit. Over the next little while, I'll fill you in with a bit of background so that you can see where I've come from in the Pursuit, where I'm aiming, and how I plan to go about getting there.

At this point in time, I could be described as fairly inexperienced in Pursuiting, having only ridden a total of 6 or 7 events. But this discipline has really captured my imagination.
For those who don't know what an Individual Pursuit is, well, it's one of the most straight forward of track events. Two riders line up on opposite sides of a track, and fastest to complete the distance, in my case 2000 metres (for Masters 6, aged 55-60) is the winner. If you are able to make up the half lap distance on your competitor and catch them, you automatically win. That's if you make a final. First there is a qualifying ride to determine the fastest four riders. First and second fastest ride off for the Gold and Silver, third and fourth fastest ride off for Bronze. Pretty simple, huh?

My first ride, at New South Wales State Championships in 2005 produced a 2min 52sec time.
At my second attempt, a year later at the 2006 Championships saw a 2min 42sec, then the following year, 2007, anotherPB of 2min 37.8sec.

In 2007, the Masters World Track Championships were held here in Sydney on our Olympic Velodrome. Having them so close, well, I had to have a ride. It turned out to be a frustrating, yet at the same time, encouraging experience. I pulled my left foot out of the pedal in the first 10m out of the start gate, somehow got it back in (a bit tricky on a fixed gear), and finished the ride, although my heart really wasn't in it after dropping so much time at the start. But my time turned out to be less then a second outside my PB! So, as I said, frustrating yet encouraging.

On to 2008, and at the State Championships in March, I rode a 2min 37.1sec effort to be fastest qualifier. Buggered up my pacing in the Gold/Silver ride-off to finish second.

We had the Australian Championships here in Sydney this year in April, and I again produced fastest qualifying ride with a new PB of 2min 34.02sec. This surprised the hell out of me, 'cos I thought I'd be just chipping away at my PB at this stage, picking up a tenth of a second here and there. Anyway, in the final I was beaten into the silver medal by .3sec.

After producing such a big PB, it got me to thinking that with a "bit of luck and a tail wind", the magic (for me at least) 2min 30sec barrier might be achievable.

So that's where I am right now. Gearing my training towards a fast time at this years World Masters in October. (Sydney has the Championships until 2009 I think)

I've had some advice and assistance from some extraordinarily astute and experienced people in analysing and planning my preparation. Don't know what the protocol is on Blogs, whether it's the right thing to mention names, but if it turns out to be ok, I'll sing their praises to the world later on.