In the interest of actually getting better at the Oval on Tuesday nights, I will begin to compile little “what I learned” lists after the race. So here’s what I learned on 20 May 2008:
- I need to shift more. Problem areas are the back straight and coming into the front straight. I tend to not upshift in the back straight, which means I lose a bit of speed, and I tend to wait too long to shift out of the final turn, meaning I work too hard approaching the start/finish line. I see four possible shift points:
- Shift up coming down from the start/finish line.
- Shift up coming out of turn two (if the pace necessitates it).
- Shift down coming out of turn four.
- Potentially shift down again (depending on the pace) approaching the start/finish line.
- I need to time my efforts better. I tended to relax too late coming down from the start/finish line, so I would lose a bit of speed entering the first turn. Same thing entering the third corner. Little things like this make it harder to hold a wheel in the group.
- Hold a wheel in the pack. This is, I think, the key to the whole race. Given my speed/effort ratio once the paceline formed with the folks that fell off the back, I can, in a group, keep pace. I need to hold a wheel in the pack, do all of the above to save strength, and stick with it during the faster laps.
- Stay low in the turns. Duh, but I seem to stay high when I’m in the pack, since I tend assume that someone will be passing me (even I’m last wheel).
So next week’s goal will be to stay with the pack longer, and if I fall off, get back on, or, if others fall off, organize a paceline to at least keep us on the lead lap.
Posted on 22 May 2008