Back to Basics

It's about time to get back in the saddle, and back to what I'm used to. It's been a good time I've taken trying to shake thing outs and focus on time trialing, but now that states is over I'm ready to get back to just working on getting stronger again and maybe working on some off road stuff in preparation for cyclocross season. Man, remember those days when 300 watts for an FTP wasn't a far away dream... I sort of do. I'd like to again. I've got all the technical details down to the absolute minimal... now I just need to get back to the simple "push pedals harder, go forward faster" formula.

The rest of my season is up in the air. There are still some races on my schedule, and it's likely I'll end up doing them, including the slight chance that I end up doing a sprint triathlon before the end of the season. That run won't be pretty though. Maybe more of a float, hammer, walk type of triathlon :)

I've got another how-to currently in the works, one that should interest a lot of people that visit the site. It's been a slight pain in the butt though, (mainly forgetting to take pictures and having to re-do all of it!) so that's why this post is going to look a little sparse! That and not much exciting is currently happening... Hopefully the Tour will shake things up!

Anyways, thanks for checking in!

- Christopher Morelock

Wow, 200 posts. That's a milestone!

200 Posts!!

Seriously... I would have never thought that when I started this little blog that I'd actually end up keeping up with it enough to ever hit 200 posts! Sure, it's not the most premium content you can find on the internet, but I would like to think it's not the absolute dregs either. What's possibly more unbelievable is that at least some number of you guys think it's good enough content to come back for more. I'm not one for getting choked up, but seriously... thanks!

I've been a lazy bum the last week (and part of this week) as after the State TT I needed to decompress a little bit. Sure I wasn't terribly excited with the way it turned out, but I was realistic enough to know it was about right. Big ups to Bestbikesplit.com, who, when you factor my actual average watts (215) spit out a projected finish time of 1:00:19, which is within 15 seconds of my actual finish time. That's pretty accurate considering how much guessing it does.

If you are looking for some extended reading across the internet about some interesting (at least I think it's interesting) stuff, let me direct you to a few places to check out. First, our very own Provision Racing blog, filled with race reports from our elite team of athletes (don't ask how I got on the team... certainly not by my recent results!) where you can fill up on what's going on in the minds of some very, very fast people. See how I so effortlessly dropped a sponsor plug in there!

Another excellent read that is ongoing right now is Dan Empfield's (Slowman) article series prescribing the right bike for your stack and reach numbers. You can find the articles on the Slowtwitch main page and the forum post that corresponds with it here. I'd suggest if you even have a passing interest in fitting bikes or just wonder about where you stack up on your current ride that you have a look. The TL;DR of the series is that we really, really need a new long/low bike. It seems like for the "Aliens" out there the only real solution is to find an old Cervelo P3/4.  I can relate as I've been struggling to get low enough on my Speed Concept. I'm actually planning to move back to my aluminum P3 soon... well, at least soon'ish.

Without dropping into too far of a tangent, I will say that despite this season having so far never gained much traction, I've had a lot of fun. It has taken me a long time to really internalize the whole "journey" back to competitive racing, but I think I am finally starting to find a balance. That's something I never had before getting sick, I based every race as the current gauge of how I was doing... which a lot of us do, but is very short sighted.

There's some more exciting stuff on the way, not just reading about me ramble on and on about this and that, I promise.

Thank you all for reading. Seriously, I wouldn't keep putting content up if I didn't see that people actually seem to visit. It's incredible, so again, thanks so much for reading!

- Christopher Morelock

TN State Championship Time Trial

Life had been barreling towards June 11th for the better part of this year. I focused all of my attention towards it, with the intent of trying to win the Cat 4 race. I knew going in it would be a tall mountain to climb, as the level of fitness I've enjoyed in the past has continued to elude me. I spent a large amount of time squeezing every bit of speed I possibly could out of my position and economics, but at the end of the day, I was shooting towards averaging a relatively low 235 watts over the 40k. Certainly not "strong" by most any cyclists measure.

Friday evening start times were announced. I had (correctly) picked out Matt Hunt as the man I would have to beat to win, and as fate would have it I was starting 30" behind him. Looking at it retrospectively, you could say this is where things went off the rails. Normally, a time trial, and especially a 40k are dictated by pacing properly and following your own race. For one thing, you generally have no idea exactly how you are doing compared to your competitors, so the best you can do is pace yourself well and hope it's good enough. I was in a fairly unique position however. I was as certain as I could be that I would know exactly how fast I needed to be to win... I needed to keep Matt within 30" of me. So, a choice had to be made... do I race my own race, or do I throw caution (and pacing) to the wind and try to keep first place in sight.

As I have mentioned many times in the past, I came to the State TT to win. I would be just as unexcited with second place as I would with last place, so the decision was simple. I would not look at my powertap, I would simply do all I could to keep my chance at winning in view.

Looks count for something, right?

Off and away

It was mercilessly hot even as I was gearing up and heading to the start line. I don't dislike hot conditions, but I knew this was going to be merciless as the entire course is on a no turn (except the turnaround) highway with no shade. I watch Matt take off and shortly it's my time to follow. With a moderate tailwind going out I know that I'm going as fast as I am on borrowed time. We pick people off at a feel good rate for the first 20 minutes, at which time I hit the lap button on my powertap so I'll be able to look back later. 255 watts avg. 20 watts higher than what I had planned for the whole ride. Nonetheless, my plan is so far working, I'm within spitting distance all the way to the turnaround.

And then, reality comes crashing in. Overcooking myself, along with 90 degree temperatures catch up with me, hard. That nice tailwind turns into a headwind, and those rollers I had been bombing down don't seem nearly as friendly going back up. I know it's all about damage control now, as Matt disappears out of my sight (and on to win!) and I am left with that long, gut-check ride back to the finish. I make a deal with myself that I stay tucked in aero on all but the longest climbs, but let my watts fall to whatever will get me there. At the second 20 minute lap I am averaging 213 watts, a meltdown if ever there has been one. The last twenty minutes is a grueling battle both physically and mentally, I don't care what anyone says, the hardest minutes of your (athletic) life are when you know it's over but you still have to get to the finish line as fast as you can. For the last 20 minutes I averaged 203 watts, as complete of a disaster as I've ever seen.

I stopped the clock in 1:00:05 - 24.7mph average over moderately rolling terrain. Good enough for 6th place, almost 3 minutes behind 1st place.

Looking back, it's easy to say it was a mistake to not pace myself, but I disagree. I think it was not only the right choice, it was my only choice. I knew going into the race I would need a lot of things to go right to claw away the top step of the podium, and given the opportunity to see exactly how fast I needed to go, I don't think there was a better setup to throw a hail mary. It's hard to separate results from the correct line of action, but it should still be done. I went all in, first or nothing... and with it probably cost myself a podium spot and certainly a much better time, but despite the fact that we endurance athletes generally phrase it that "we're racing against ourselves" eventually that simply isn't true... we're racing others, and sometimes to have a chance to beat them you have to go out of your comfort zone / planned pace/race. You miss all of the shots you don't take, as the saying goes.

I would like to thank all of my sponsors... Provision in particular... without their help I wouldn't have even made it to the start line, let alone the finish line. I'm not discouraged, now that this race is over it's time have some fun!

Some pictures of my buddies starting

Jimmy was looking for a back to back jersey win, but also had a tough day

Matt crushed all the 4's and can now claim back to back state TT wins, helluva ride

Sharon had a very rocky start, involving ripping her rear derailleur off her bike on the warmup and having to borrow another bike just to get to the start. Still snagged second too!

Taper Time

There's very little left to do before the State TT.  Two more short, hard training sessions and one last equipment check and then it's go time. Weather report is hot, especially as the day goes on. We don't have start times posted yet, but looking at the group start order I suspect we'll be seeing the hottest parts of the day during our ride. That's fine with me, bring on the heat.

This is probably the most relaxed I've been about a race in recent memory, even before my time off. Not because I think I'm going to dominate, but because I feel like I have done everything I could have done to put myself in the best position possible. My equipment is sorted, my fitness is as good as I was able to get it, and my aerodynamics / rolling resistance / efficiency is as tight as I know to make it.  There's nothing, short of dropping a couple of grand on a new bike that may or may not be any faster that I can do other than go out there are suffer the best I can for a little under an hour.

As far as equipment goes, I've not said lots about it leading up, but here's what I'll be running.

2011 Trek Speed Concept 7.0 - Medium
3T Brezza Nano base bar w/ USE 50° extensions
SRAM CX1 RD w/ no name 13/15t Pulleys
Shimano 105 Crankset w/ Falco 54t Narrow/wide ring
SRAM 500 TT shifters
SRAM 500 TT brake levers
Tririg Omega X front brake
Fizik Ares TT saddle
LOOK Ergostem
Zipp 404 Powertap w/wheelbuilder disc cover
Specialized Turbo Cotton 24mm w/latex
HED. Jet9 C2
Continental Supersonic 23mm w/latex
Shimano Dura Ace Chain w/ Speed Wax coating

Me
Nopinz Supersuit w/number pocket
Specialized TT helmet
Specialized Sub6 laced shoes w/speed covers
Aerocoach Trip Sockz
Bioracer TT gloves

Targeting a 235 watt avg, but I don't plan to stress over my numbers during the race, just holding my position as tight as I can.

What do I think my chances are. Realistically, without factoring in the "unknowns" who can always show up at a race, I think I have a good shot at the podium. What step of the podium is in question, as I don't know the exact level of fitness or watts/cda some of the other guys put out. With a "perfect" day, I think I have a shot at the top step. My "safe, I'll be happy regardless of placing" goal is 57 minutes. Bad day, just break an hour. Great day, in the 55's. My "Babe" called shot is 55:58 (it's also what BestBikeSplit spat out) but we'll just have to see how it goes.

Thanks everyone for reading the blog! Next week I'll have a race report, good bad or ugly. To my competition... ride hard! Just not as hard as me!

- Christopher Morelock

How To: Install a valve extender (the right way!)

This is sort of an expansion / sister post to my how to article on installing latex tubes (read that here and don't make the mistake of popping your expensive tubes!) and I'll go in depth on how to properly piece together a valve extender.

First, lets get this out of the way. Not all valve extenders are created equal. In the picture below I have an assortment of extenders I've collected over the years. See if you can spot the (important) difference.

assorted extenders

So, the bottom three extenders are different than the top four. How you ask? Well, they are made to screw directly onto a presta valve without removing the valve core, whereas the top four are made with the ideal that you will be removing the core and then installing it onto the other side of the extension. Why are they different? Well, many (most) butyl tubes (and some latex ones as well) are not going to have a removable core, in which case you'll need one like those bottom three to get the job done. What are the positives to this method? Well, it's much, much easier. You simply unscrew your presta valve, screw this on, and hope for the best. The negatives? Your presta valve will always be open, so both pumping up and keeping air in the tire will be a hassle. Also, if the little screw off valve ever works its way back closed on you it will be a big pain getting it back to open. (Some people crimp the opening so that is impossible, but I've always shied away from that method.) However, let me say many people use these (Zipp is the biggest name that makes this kind of extender) extensions successfully and have for years. I don't think it's ideal, but YMMV.

two latex tubes, one with and one without a removable core.

We'll take for granted you can get that type on with no issues and instead we'll focus on how to get the removable cores correctly installed. First let's have a look at what you need.

tools of the trade

Running it down we have some sealant for your tube, some plumber's tape (seal tape) a pair of pliers and/or the little tool that is included with some extenders (little black c shaped part in this picture) along with the tube, core and extender. 

Use the removal tool (and/or your pliers) to unscrew the valve core from your tube (not pictured, but it will have two flat sides for you to grip to unscrew it.) and lay it to the side. Now your tube should have an open hole at the end of the valve. This is the perfect time to add your sealant!

I use around 1/3 - 1/2 bottle on each tube, shake vigorously.

You'll probably make a mess, so I suppose a rag or old shirt wouldn't hurt to add to the list of things you'll need. The key to adding the sealant is to go slow. After you've got it in it's time to grab your plumbers tape and start wrapping threads.

Plumbers tape applied!

Tape the threaded end of your extender (just make sure you don't let the excess length block the opening.) tightly so that it looks similar to the above (your tape may be blue) You don't need a ton of tape, just enough length to cover the threads. Now, use your tool/pliers and start screwing the extender into your tube.

coming together

It should come together pretty neatly, although some don't end up totally flush (as the above) that is ok, it should still be nicely sealed. Next, we're going to do the exact same thing taping the valve core. Again, just make sure you cover the threads and get the tape pulled fairly tight around. 

Now, back to your installation tool and pliers (I had to use both... or two pair of pliers if you don't have the little tool... to get the valve in.) start screwing the valve core back in.

proper use

Once everything is back together it's time to check and see if you got it right. Open the valve up and hook it to your pump, giving it a couple of pumps. If air is rapidly seeping back out, you don't have a good seal. If it's holding air correctly, congratulations! Great success!

Ta Dah!

Now go about your normal installation of the tube in the tire (don't blow it! Literally!) and you're ready to ride with a valve extender you can actually close! Sure, it's a little thing, but if it helps keep air pressure steady it could be a big thing! FLO recently found ~5psi difference in air pressure in your tires could account for a couple of watts(!) of aero drag! So keeping it steady at what you find best/like can be important.

Boom! Jet90, SWorks Turbo Cotton and a nice clean valve extender!

Thanks for checking out the blog and this short little how-to. I really appreciate it!

- Christopher Morelock