Tour of Murray River
Stage 15 Kermesse 66km’s.
This little 2.2km circuit was a little ripper! A fast flowing L-shaped route with a small 20-30m hill made
for a challenging little race. With Plan B sitting around the 7th spot on Teams Classification we had hoped
to move into a top ten spot on the Individual Classification. This was to be achieved via the utilization of
Sam, Andrew, Logan and Mike in delivering me to the intermediate sprints so that I can attempt to
display my anaerobic finesse…..
Much of my pre season training had revolved around gym work and resistance training. This type of
fitness assists the body in producing energy/output via anaerobic and lactic pathways. Indeed I had
found this to be the case as around the summer months of December and January I had recorded peak
power outputs in slower sprints of around 1600watts, which is quite exceptional for someone of my
caliber.
However since the gym sessions had ceased due to racing commitments (Gym work can leave the body
feeling very very tired) my peak power outputs have been a lot lower 1100-1200watts. Of interest
however was my peak 1minute power outputs which have progressively become more of a strong point
for me personally. Lately I have seen values that put my relative output in a zone that is comparable to
other professional athletes.
So with this information at hand I knew that if I was to contest a sprint I had to do so early as I do not
have a kick worth describing, rather I am more adapt to driving forward to the line from a way out in the
hope of keeping off my adversaries. The hardest part is getting to the line in a reasonable condition; this
was the job of my Plan B compatriots.
The average for the race was around 47km/hr which reflects the high intensity of the 1.5hrs of riding. A
break moved out early with Logan and Andrew really attempting to cover all the moves that went clear.
In one instance I rode across to a move with another rider and in doing so recorded my highest
30second power output to date in a race, which I was rather happy with. However the break was
immediately reeled in by Genesis.
As the race settled into a rhythm the intermediate sprints were key. Sam managed to pick me up for one
of them and dropped me off with 300m remaining, I kicked hard for the line and ran second to Adam
Phelan with Ben Kersten on my heals in 3rd. This left me massively spent as I took laps to recover from
the efforts.
A break rode out from here as Genesis began to ride a solid pace in pursuit. They eventually pulled the 5
man break back with several laps remaining, where I again utilized Mike, Andrew and Sam in assisting
me to a position where I could not lose time in the sprint.
On the final lap I had collected Sam’s wheel and totally used him up with little concern for his own
welfare. Sam is a super generous bike rider and absolutely killed himself in placing me in the field
around 30th position. From here I stepped out with around 700m to go and made my way through
several riders to position in the top 20. A maximum speed of 68 was recorded for an uphill finish as I had
the 11 sprocket at the back turning over at a rate that was faster then what I found comfortable: more
track work is probably needed.
So we had gained time on the individual classification but so too had other riders. We missed out on a
top 10 by 1second to a Pure Black rider in Alexander Ray riding for the Murray shire team. It would have
been nice to secure this spot but this tour was for us, unfortunately, not about results.
The boys rode really well and were proactive throughout the race which was seriously biased to
sprinters and teams of fast finishers. The Plan B team never gave up and constantly sought to create an
opportunity where our strengths would better match a situation that would better our chances for
success. A great experience to be a part of and another reflection of just how far the riders have come in
working together in attempting to claim a result against Australia’s best domestic riders.
Now our focus turns to our preparation for the Tour of Tasmania which features some brutal climbing
among quality teams come the 1st of October. Thanks again for reading, Brad.