Denis Bolotov: from Paris — Brest — Paris to track sprint

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Another issue with this guest

• Issue #1 · April 26, 2023 · 52 minDenis Bolotov: from cycling to Paris — Brest — Paris

Useful from the issue

1. Look for your distance based on data

   Denis realized that he was a sprinter, according to the power curves in Zwift and according to school standards. If ultra does not bring pleasure, it is worth trying yourself in short efforts.

2. Giving your best is a separate skill

   I had to study for months to give out a maximum of 200 meters without racing adrenaline: at first, Denis simply did not get tired after a short acceleration.

3. Study the track in advance

   Before the first lesson, Denis spent two months asking friends about gear, equipment and rules, watching races and videos — and came to the track prepared.

4. Track budget in Moscow

   Club training with a trainer costs about three thousand rubles; with three classes per week, this is about 30 + thousand per month without storing a bicycle and other services.

5. Go racing with no chance of a podium

   Racing experience is taken only at races, so Denis goes to all the interesting starts for him, not hesitating to lose to the strong.

6. Heat on long brevets

   Denis does not tolerate the heat well and slept during the day and drove more at night in the intense heat on the PBP.

7. Intervals — on the trainer

   For accurate testing or intervals, people recommend an indoor trainer: traffic lights, cars, dogs, and wind interfere on the street.

8. Bike fit — for beginners

   An experienced rider often has enough of his own feelings to fix the saddle and take-out, and a beginner bike fit will help to avoid mistakes in landing.

Why sprint after PBP

The fact that he is a sprinter, Denis, according to him, guessed for a long time: at school, institute and army, he was the best at running a hundred and two hundred, and a kilometer and three seemed deadly. Long distances are easier on a bicycle, and he forgot about it. He drove through Paris — Brest — Paris because he promised himself, and he is more proud of the fact that he completed the task than of the Brevet itself.

After the PBP, he had an aversion to the bike for several months, and then he realized that he could ride, but he would not show an outstanding result in ultra. The power curves in Zwift suggested that it was worth trying a short effort, and in January Denis came to the track. He calls the PBP the most boring story: two years of preparation, everything was predictable, without euphoria. The heat was the hardest for him — because of it he almost disrupted the selection, coming off the last six hundred, and in France he escaped by sleeping during the day and driving at night.

First year on the track

Denis was scared on the track only at the first training session — after the fix, he says, this is normal, and at the second he was already riding on the sides. During the year, he completed the first category, but twice a tenth of a second was not enough before the KMS — at 200 and 500 meters on the move; at the Moscow championships in December, he, in his own estimation, overdid it. The dream of closing the CMS in a year did not come true, but he takes it calmly.

A sprinter's training is not about volume: at least three sessions a week for an hour and a half to two hours, short workouts and long rest, and the volumes start in the summer, when sprinters have the off-season. The most difficult thing was to learn to give it my all in a few seconds without the adrenaline of the race: at first, he simply didn't get tired in 200 meters. Absolute peak power has barely increased over the year, but the ability to maintain it longer has improved. His favorite discipline is keirin: he rides poorly in it, but enjoys it the most.

How much does the track cost and how does the sports school work

One training session as part of a club with a coach at the Moscow track, according to Denis, costs about three thousand rubles, and then bicycle storage, locker rooms and other services are added — each club has its own conditions. He gets extra time on the canvas through a sports school, where he was called a tandem pilot: the school works with athletes with visual, hearing and musculoskeletal disabilities and gives sighted pilots the opportunity to perform at official competitions.

Denis starts at the Moscow Championship with young masters of sports and sees nothing shameful in this: for him it is a racing experience. He does not understand the riders who do not go to the start if the podium does not shine, and believes that you will not learn to win them without participating in races. The attitude of professionals to amateurs, he says, is normal: after the races, you can sort out the tactics with a strong athlete.

Green mud and organization on enthusiasm

A week before the start, Zelenogryaz had more than a hundred registrations, and Denis admits that every race is given to him nervously: he and his partner are engaged in preparation only in two weeks. Slots are cheap, money goes entirely into the race — into food and merch, and a small balance from the last race went to the next. In the fall, they tried the format without orientation, just circles: it turned out that the participants like to eat, but no one likes orientation. For summer races, the team comes up with game mechanics instead of the usual photos at the sights.

Ilya shares his approach to the Tsar Grader, where there are already about 400 registrations: cut off excess, do not spray and delegate to reliable volunteers, and this year strengthen the team, including paid assistants. The Tour de Selishchi will no longer be held, unless requested by the authorities of the region. The interlocutors also discuss that amateurs in Moscow have only recently been given the opportunity to perform categories at their competitions and go to official starts through them.

Sports on TV and live races

Denis doesn't watch road cycling races on TV: six-hour races seem more boring to him than football, and there's no point in rooting for unfamiliar stars. But he watches track championships and the Olympics attentively — they're short, clear, and feature people he's seen on the track. For the same reason, he's more interested in amateur races like CyclingRace and Tour de Selishchi, where he knows half the participants. Virtual competitions on indoor trainers scare him, especially when federations organize them instead of infrastructure for real cycling.

Denis' track bike is almost entirely Chinese, the most expensive thing about it is the sprint spokes. For the road, he has an inexpensive Chinese bike, which, despite the complaints on the internet, works without any issues. He has never done a bike fit: by feel, he understands what to adjust, although he considers it useful for safety for beginners.

Tsar Grader tourist and category 180

Denis's only race in the summer is the Tsar Grader, and this time he is going to go as a tourist with his future wife, whom he prepares himself through Intervals.icu: watch the views and finish beyond the limit. The reason was an acquaintance who, after each race, talks about churches and sunsets, while the others saw only the wheels in front.

Ilya explains the 180 km categories: mongrels are beginners, barbos are more experienced, wolves are strong riders who did not want to go 250, and pugs are fixers. Distance 250 is one category for the strongest. The fresh cash prize fund, according to Ilya, has already forced some of the riders to re-register for a long distance.

Timestamps

1. 00:00Setting up a stream
2. 04:04Two years of podcast and Green Mud
3. 07:18Why after the PBP to the track
4. 10:34First year on the track and ranks
5. 13:50Weight and sprinter training
6. 16:16Track status and professionals
7. 20:22Tandem and sports school
8. 23:32The thrill of the track and sprint discipline
9. 29:54Plans: fees and Tsar Grader tourist
10. 33:53How much does the track cost
11. 36:17Racing with no chance of a podium
12. 41:51Organization of Green Mud and Tsar Grader
13. 55:36Why not watch road sports
14. 1:02:56Setup and Bike fit
15. 1:09:29Categories Tsar Grader and prize pool

Mentioned in this episode

Paris — Brest — Paris · Zelenogryaz · Tsar Grader · Tour de Selishchi · Zwift · Intervals.icu · CyclingRace