Elite U25 Cycling

Team OAM Now’s Alex Vanias and Kaitlyn Patterson Take on the Draft Legal Detroit Tri

August 21st, 2014 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Alex Vanias, Team OAM Now Triathlete

When I saw that there was a draft-legal elite development triathlon in Detroit, I couldn’t pass it up. Since I was going, teammate Kaitlyn Patterson decided it would be a good experience and decided to race as well. It’s worth noting that draft-legal sprint triathlons are not what we have been training for, especially with the MI Titanium 140.6/70.3 the week after the Detroit Tri.

Kaitlyn and Alex

There was a mandatory pre-race meeting for all the draft-legal participants the day before the race so we had to head down Belle Isle early. We used the opportunity to check out the course and pick up our race packets. The race was labeled as U25, but there were quite a few exceptions for racers older than 25. Kaitlyn, for example, was going to compete against a 30-year old woman who recently won the Olympic distance age group nationals.

The men’s and women’s races were held separately. I started at 7:45am while Kaitlyn started at 8:45. The water temperature was 70 degrees so wetsuits were not allowed. All the draft legal men were called up to the line on the beach, one by one, and before I knew it the race started! I hadn’t gotten in the water before the start which turned out to be a major mistake. The 70 degree water took my breath away, and as much as I tried to catch my breath, I just couldn’t. I found myself hanging in the back of the swimming group. As we made our way farther out into the Detroit River, waves appeared out of nowhere and started choking me. Already in oxygen debt, I had to slow down. It was frustrating not being able to go as hard as I knew I could. Not only did the waves make sighting a green buoy against the shoreline difficult, but the river current also took everyone off course while swimming back to shore. I came out of the water 4 minutes behind the leader- not so good.

I hopped on my bike and immediately started hammering to make up time. I passed roughly half the field on the bike leg without drafting anybody and without letting anybody draft me. A pace line of 10 guys tried to bring me back, but they failed. I knew I was having a good day on the bike, but I didn’t realize at the time that I set a new threshold power record while riding a non-aero road bike at an average of 27.5mph, and had the fastest bike leg!

Of course, having to ride so hard in a draft legal race put me at a disadvantage on the run compared to the leaders who were mostly drafting. While running, I felt okay, but not great. My goal pace was 5:10/mile, but I only managed to average 5:20/mile. I still overtook several people on the run for the 7th fastest run leg of the day. This put me in 12th place out of roughly 30 Elite Development racers, but still about 3 minutes behind the winner.

Kaitlyn’s race went similar to mine. With a crazy fast and competitive field, Kaitlyn still finished solid and in 6th place overall.

I was hoping for a top 10 finish and was only a few seconds away from that goal. I now know how fast I need to swim now in order to be successful in draft legal racing. I look forward to continuing my swim training with Athletic Mentors to work out my issues and make me efficient!

Ed note: Team OAM NOW’s Professional Triathlete Raquel Torres offers some great swim training advice here.

Team OAM Now Triathletes Still Going Strong

August 21st, 2014 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Roxane Kippen, Team OAM NOW Triathlete

Mike Steele

August has been a busy month of racing, so far, for Team OAM NOW triathletes. The podium pace set earlier in the season has not slowed down. Over the last three weekends, tri team members have raced in six different events and reigned in multiple podium finishes.

August started off with beautiful weather for the Millennium Triathlon in Grand Rapids, MI. After finishing on the podium at XTERRA Ionia Offroad Triathlon the week before, Mike Steele and Roxane Kippen, put away the mountain bikes and got back on their time trial bikes for another great race. Mike finished 2nd in his age group in the Olympic distance race and Roxane finished 1st in her age group in the Sprint distance event.

That same weekend, Alex Vanias and Kaitlyn Patterson entered the hunt for a big cash payout in the Elite race at The Experience Triathlon in Frankenmuth, MI. The pro/elite field was a strong one and included national level professional triathletes. Alex and Kaitlyn both finished 5th overall in their respective fields and pedaled their way to the 2nd fastest overall bike splits of the day. We are very excited to see these two continue to grow in the sport!

Chuck Grzanka tuned up his swim by competing in the Harbor Springs Coastal Crawl. He is fortunate to be able to train in the clean, clear and usually chilly waters of Little Traverse Bay, where this event was held. Chuck finished 1st in his age group and 3rd overall in the one mile, wetsuit division.

Chuck Grzanka

On August 10th, the city of Battle Creek, home of Kellogg’s, hosted the Cereal City Triathlon. This was a sprint distance event consisting 750 meter swim, 20 kilometer bike and 5 kilometer run. Paul Raynes finished on the podium, 3rd in his age group. Mark Olson finished 4th in his age group and posted the 3rd fastest overall bike split of the day. Matt Gunderson, in his first year of triathlon, finished 6th in his age group.

This past weekend, Alex Vanias and Kaitlyn Patterson raced the Detroit Triathlon, a draft-legal U25 Elite Development race in Detroit, MI. This was the first draft legal triathlon for both Alex and Kaitlyn and a good opportunity for more exposure in the pro/elite arena. Look for a blog to come about the experience.

And last, but not least, Chuck Grzanka was at it again, up north at the Traverse City Triathlon where he competed in the Olympic distance race. He finished 1st in his age group and made great improvements in his swim and run times from the previous year’s event. Congratulations Chuck!

Team OAM NOW triathletes are up next at the MI Titanium full and half triathlon in Grand Rapids, MI on August 24. Come on out to Versluis Park to cheer them on!

Criterium Racing Tips and Strategies

July 9th, 2014 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Dan Yankus, Team OAM Now Cyclist, Road Cat 2

With the upcoming (and local) Miller Energy Criterium , it’s a great time to look at some of the best strategies for racing a criterium. Of course, the best advice I can give a new, or experienced, rider is to ride. I can’t overstate how important confidence is to racing and the best way to build confidence is to ride and race. Take every opportunity you can to build on both of these. Here are some tips and strategies to consider as you prepare for your next, or first, race:

Before the Race

Build a strong foundation- You have to train. Even if the race is short, your ability to maintain speeds, attack, and sprint come from your overall endurance. Don’t skip the long rides and don’t skip intervals in your training. You’ll need to call on both endurance and speed.
Don’t skip the cross-training- Success on the bike comes from a multitude of places, but don’t neglect strength training, particularly your core.
Build confidence- Ride. Train. Race. Repeat. Confidence is built with experience, but it’s vital. The more confident you are, the less you hesitate. Every hesitation during a race is wasted energy and how you use your energy is vital to success.
Ride with groups- Feeling comfortable riding in the pack is a must. Get as much experience as you can here. Find a local group. Train with friends or teammates. Time in the pack is invaluable for building confidence and confidence is king.
Practice your skills- Unlike endurance races, there are skills essential to crit racing, like cornering. Head over to your local school or shopping center parking lot (when empty…be safe!) and use the light posts to make a short, simulated, course. Treat each corner as its own race. Learn, and practice, how to coast/brake before the corner and accelerate out of it to maximize speed and energy.
Know your bike and know how to use it to your advantage- Use 700 x 25c tires at low to medium air pressure (85-110 psi based on rider weight), they provide a larger contact patch with the ground and roll over the bumps in the roads with ease. Most riders are on 23c width tires, so if you go into a corner and the riders in front of you made it, so will you with wider tires. Once I changed over to a wider tire that also decreases rolling resistance, I began to attack the corners.

During the Race

Learn to move around the pack- Getting near the front is always your first priority, but how you get there is more important. Don’t waste energy getting to the front only to fall back because you need a rest. Find a wheel if you need to and draft, but move up.
Maintain your position- Once you find yourself near the front, maintain that position. Hopefully, you’ve used your energy wisely and can stay with the front of the pack until it’s time to make your move.
Don’t be afraid to get in a break (a group of riders breaks away from the main group) – Especially if the course has a lot of turns, riding in break is easier than riding in the field. The pace is more consistent and there are fewer leg-draining accelerations.
Time your attack wisely- When you make your attack makes all the difference in the world. This is where experience and confidence come in incredibly handy. Some of this is reading the race, some is reading the pack, and some is just knowing what your strengths as a rider are.

After the Race

Analyze- The race doesn’t end when you cross the finish line. You have to look back on your performance, on how you feel, and really look at each of the elements of the race to determine where you need to focus your training.

TEAM OAM NOW pic Gran Fondo Building confidence and building experience both come from time on the bike.If crit racing is your event, or if you’d like it to become your event, get out and ride. Get out and get experience, it breeds confidence. A great opportunity to learn from elite and experienced riders is at Athletic Mentors’ Free Clinic this Friday. The clinic is designed for riders of all abilities, both men and women, and provides drills, strategies, and techniques to help you build both confidence and experience.