SBT GRVL: Dialing in the Final Details

"It was time to get all my thoughts, lists, ideas, to-do's, etc. on paper and start preparing."

by Alison Powers, ALP Cycles Coaching

In February ALP Coach, Alison Powers, announced that she had signed up for SBT GRVL, a 141-mile race with 100 miles on dirt/gravel roads in Steamboat, Colorado. With race day approaching, she’s been blogging every day leading up to the race. She blogs about the specifics of her training, her preparation, headspace, etc. All the things that lead up to race day that not everyone gets to see or understand.

5 days to go - Tuesday, August 13th

This close to a big event, it isn’t really about the bike or the training anymore. It’s about the preparation. Dialing in the final details that can make or break your race.

The last time I did a big event race (Leadville 2014), I made a series of preparation mistakes that eventually lead to a DNF. This is despite being well supported and having a good team behind me. So, for Steamboat, I want to be very prepared and having thought through everything.

It was time to get all my thoughts, lists, ideas, to-do’s, etc., on paper and start preparing. I need to get the van ready for #vanlife, food bought for #vanlifing and racing, make some sort of schedule to keep me on task so I don’t end up stressed on Friday, etc. It felt good to start this preparation and start to feel excited about the race as opposed to stressed or frazzled. I also got an updated start list so I could dial in on who my competition is (it’s very strong! MTB’ers, Roadies, Triathletes, Gravel, and CX racers).

For training, I woke up feeling a lot better today (yay!). I had a 90min private Time Trial lesson with a nice woman and it was perfect. Some easy riding, some fast riding (in her draft), and low stress. Before meeting her, I did 20min of dynamic stretching, Foundation Training, core, etc. I definitely could have done more today, but, like I mentioned yesterday, just because you can ride harder/longer, doesn’t mean you should. Then I left my bike at Tin Shed Sports to have the final touches put on. This pretty much means give it to my friend and former team mechanic Erik, to make sure it is race-ready. The front brake was rubbing, so I’m glad it’s in good hands to get it dialed.

Rolling and stretching in the evening ended a very nice day.

ABOUT ALISON POWERS

Now retired from racing, Alison Powers is the only person, in history, to win all three road discipline National Championships in one year (Road, Criterium and Time Trial - 2014). These go along with two previous national championships (Time Trial 2008, Team Pursuit 2008), two National Racing Calendar titles, and a 2nd place at the Leadville 100 mountain bike race (2013, 7:26hrs). Today she is the owner of ALP Cycles Coaching where she teaches road, cyclocross, and mountain bike clinics, and high performance race preparation and tactics. Alison is also team director for ALP Cycles Racing, a professional women's road and cyclocross team based in Boulder, Colorado.

ALP Cycles Coaching

Colorado-based ALP Cycles Coaching has over 25 years of professional sports experience. Each coach brings specific strengths and personal experiences to coaching sessions while collaborating to create a training plan that works for each and every person. Learn more at alpcyclescoaching.com

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