September
At the start of September I raced my first ever Nat B, it happened to be the first ever national B catagory race that has allowed first year juniors (like myself) to race. I was a 2 day stage race with a flat 106km Road Race on the Saturday, then the next day, a rolling 11km TT in the morning followed by a hilly 107km Road Race. The race manual came out a week prior to the start, and the startlist was stacked. Multiple Conti pro's and many Elite and 1st Cat riders. I had my hands full to even get round this race. The first day went well i managed to get round (only just!!) I had some pretty horrendous cramp in my left leg on the last lap but i was able to cling in and get round the first day, which was a big achievement in my books.
The second day started off well, I was feeling suprisingly good especially after the cramps I was having. A solid 20 min warm up set me up well for the TT where I pushed myself all the way to the line getting a PB all-time best 10 minute power. I ended up 4th junior on the day which I was pleased with considering the caliber of junior riders who were at the race. Then it was time for the Road Race, the GC contenders lit the race up straight away causing the pace to sky-rocket. I was on my limit straight away, and after my efforts in the TT i couldn't hold this pace up for much longer. I was dropped on the first climb and pulled out of the race following this.
looking back on the race, it was a great experience and a real eye-opener for me. it showed me what I need to improve on over the winter for the 2023 season.
October
October didn't start well for me, I got covid while travelling back from a family holiday. this set me back a few weeks but with the guidance of my new coach I knew there was no need to worry as I have many months of training ahead of me. After I had recovered, I did some baseline testing to set my zones for training. then the 2023 season grind started Over this month I have been less focused on the intensity and more focussed on being consistent. it has been a very uneventful month with not much to write home about.
I will be back in the new year to talk about my training from November and December.
コメント