This summer, two (that I know of) Seattle-area cyclists will attempt to break very different kinds of world cycling records. The first attempt will be by Stewart Bowmer on July 11, who is aiming to set a new Masters (40-44) one-hour record, and along the way set a new track record at Marymoor Velodrome. The current master’s world record is 45.5871 km/hr; the current Marymoor record is 41.7 km/hr.
(More about the second attempt–Chris Ragsdale going for the 24 hour and 1000km records–in a future post.)
Stewart is riding in support of David Zabriskie‘s non-profit Yield to Life, which has an education mission we can all get behind:
“…to promote positive attitudes toward cyclists and replace any hostility that exists between motorists and cyclists with understanding, respect, and appreciation for all life on the road.”
Stewart out for a hike near Colorado Springs during a USA Cycling meeting.
Questions
Age: 41
Family:
I have my very supportive wife–Mary Margaret–who also races on the road and our 2 children Anthony age 11 and Alexandria age 9, who is ready to race when she turns 10 next year.
Years racing:
I’ve been racing bikes for 5 years now. Before that I was mostly into endurance running to get in shape for mountaineering.
Team/club affiliations:
I put together Fanatik Bike Co. team about 4 years ago.
Cycling & racing highlights:
Winning the Master B “Best All Around Racer” (BARR) a few years back, but really having fun racing on the track the last couple of years. Especially the Keirin. That’s my favorite race on the track, especially up at Burnaby. The speed is just insane.
On his way to winning a 2009 3-day Keirin event at Burnaby Velodrome.
Tell us about how you came up with this idea? How have your cycling experiences led you to attempting this now?
This past winter I broke my fibula while skiing. The winter months are the time I have the time to put in lots of base and really train for road racing. I’m a landscaper, so spring and summer months my training time goes down significantly. The hour record is something I have time to train for, and involves very specific workouts and less time on the bike. The timing also worked out well, since our children spend 2-3 weeks with my folks every summer, and this gave me the flexibility to train at Marymoor.
Time trialing is at least as mental as it is physical. Tell us about how you have been training for this event:
I have been doing many intervals below threshold. It wears on you after a while mentally, but I just get in a mind set and think through things that have made me strong in life to keep me going. I’ve been doing about 2 motor pace sessions per week. These are extremely hard. Last Sunday after a bit of math we did over 120 laps in 52 minutes at Marymoor. To me it felt like 30. It’s interesting getting used to riding in circles over and over.
Will you need to do anything special to address hydration needs and caloric intake?
I won’t necessarily do anything different. An hour is short. I’ll make sure I’m hydrated and that my fuel stores are topped off just like doing a 40k TT.
Tell us about the bike and equipment you’ll be using:
I’m using a standard Felt TK2 track bike. Nothing fancy. A disc wheel for the back and a tri spoke for the front. For the hour it’s amazing how different tubulars, tire pressure, aero helmets can really slow or speed up lap times. A lot of it is up to proper equipment.
For folks who come out to watch, what should they look for? What kind of lap splits do you need to break the record?
Hopefully the folks will see no wind. If it’s raining it’s canceled. If the wind is more than 6 mph it might be canceled. I’ve been out there with the wind is 4-6 mph and it becomes a game of when and where you attack the track. My lap times will need to be in the range of 31.54 to beat the World Hour Record. I’m highly confident I will beat the Marymoor record.
Will you be using dznuts?
I’ve been using dznuts for over a year and love it. I hate it when I forget to put the stuff on!
You can cheer on Stewart in his epic hour ride at the Marymoor Velodrome on July 11 between 8-10 AM.
View Group Health Velodrome in a larger map
Update July 12, 2010:
With windy and less than ideal conditions Stewart set a new hour record at Marymoor: 43.490 (not official).
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