BRIC 2016

[lindsayh]

I think I have a buddy in the 70+ hwt - George Petelin is his name and he is pretty good at it - if you see him say hi

[le grand fromage]

Hi Guy's n Gal's
Just read through my 'blog' for last year at BRIC and came across a couple of snippets that may be of interest to people

If you're driving and parking in Westfield, Car Park 'A' is the nearest although B & C aren't that far away

Make a serious note of where you are parked if you use the Westfield car parks, all of them are big multi- story car parks and not of uniform shape! (I 'lost' my car the previous year!)

I used the toilets in Westfield last year, more for necessity at the time. Pleased I did because the queue for the gents at the Velodrome wasn't small, I kid you not.

Best of luck to all going, hope you get what you've trained for.

[Pie Man]

Hi Guy's n Gal's
Just read through my 'blog' for last year at BRIC and came across a couple of snippets that may be of interest to people

If you're driving and parking in Westfield, Car Park 'A' is the nearest although B & C aren't that far away

Make a serious note of where you are parked if you use the Westfield car parks, all of them are big multi- story car parks and not of uniform shape! (I 'lost' my car the previous year!)

I used the toilets in Westfield last year, more for necessity at the time. Pleased I did because the queue for the gents at the Velodrome wasn't small, I kid you not.

Best of luck to all going, hope you get what you've trained for.

Thanks for those tips, very useful. Are you competing this year? Do you have a link to your blog?

[lindsayh]

Thanks for those tips, very useful. Are you competing this year? Do you have a link to your blog?

Sadly I suspect Richard's notes disappeared into the ISS abyss when they closed down the Forum in the UK - just like everyone else's stuff unfortunately!
There was a huge amount of good material there - all of the CTC stuff and personal notes and comments from many people.
Good luck Richard - hope you do well. (definitely entered)

[le grand fromage]

Thanks for those tips, very useful. Are you competing this year? Do you have a link to your blog?

Yep, I'm back defending my title against the 'youth's' coming through in the 55-59s MHwts lol. Off at 09:40

Unfortunately you can no longer link to my blog as it's demise was part of the ISS website. Fortunately for me I use to write it in 'word' before uploading it to the website, so have a pretty complete copy of 99% of it, not inclusive of any last second adjustments.

It's at times like this ie pre BRIC that the benefits of keeping training and race notes come to fruition. I don't use my 'word' blog anymore (337 pages worth ! going back to BIRC09 in Nov 09 ) since the ISS meltdown, just got out of the habit, but I do still keep salient notes/paces on my 'excel' spreadsheet training log. I guess I'll write a few words up after BRIC16, hadn't thought about it until now

Sad really, there was quite a nice little community of like minded people in the ISS blogland, good info and encouragements and critic's aplenty

[le grand fromage]

Cheers Lindsey, hope all's well in your world

[Pie Man]

Thanks Richard and Lindsay. Shame about the blog but at least you still have the majority of the information Richard, such are the dangers of 'the cloud'...

BTW here is a pic of me, as a description probably won't separate me from the vast majority of LWT men of a certain age attending

[Citroen]

Best of luck everyone rowing at BRIC.

Just remember a few things

1. Get on the warm-up machine about half an hour before your race. If you're doing Eddie Fletcher's warm-up it takes 19'45". Then you'll have 10' after your warm-up for the "herding cats" process to get you on your racing ergo.
2. You can delay the start of your race by getting the flywheel spinning fast, they can't set the Venue racing running until everyone's ergo is at rest.
3. Don't forget to read the drag factor you're using at home/gym on your training machine, so you can set that when the race is "OK to Warm Up".
4. When you row at home the clock starts when you pull the first stroke. When you're racing the clock starts at the point when ROW appears on the monitor and you have to react to that. Your pace value will be badly wrong on the first stroke and it takes the first six strokes to settle to a normal value. Anyone who's got a PM4 or PM5 can use the Wireless racing option to practice race starts.
5. Have a plan, stick to it. Ask the nice cox sitting behind you to help. They're probably an on-the-water rower and will know all about rowing ergos - they don't bite. Tell them your plan, tell them what time you're aiming for.
6. Don't go off too hard, you will die some time before the last 300m or so if you do.
7. Remember it's only seven or so minutes of pain and the beer after will taste as sweet as nectar.

[le grand fromage]

Unfortunately you can't do Number 1. They only let you on the warm up machine's 20 minutes before the race start, even if you're 1st off, like I was last year they don't let you up on the floor any earlier than your marshalling time.

That whole saga and a way around it are in my blog There is a way around it but I'm not telling as I may need it, if it's still available

Failing that I do use the fletcher warm up so I'm prepping a shotdown version which last around 10 minutes, just in case.

[le grand fromage]

OK FWIW my shotdown fletcher last's 11' 15 sec

1'/1'/1'/30s/30s/2'/45s/2'/30s/2'

Figure I'll do some static warm up exercises before I get on the erg

[Citroen]

Unfortunately you can't do Number 1. They only let you on the warm up machine's 20 minutes before the race start, even if you're 1st off, like I was last year they don't let you up on the floor any earlier than your marshalling time.

What happened to them having enough warm-up machines, has it morphed into the same crap as the English Champs at Manchester (where there were never enough warm-up machines)?

[Pie Man]

Thanks for the tips Dougie, it seems to be a victim of it's own success and the move to a different venue.

That whole saga and a way around it are in my blog There is a way around it but I'm not telling as I may need it, if it's still available

Sounds interesting, will you let on after the event?

[le grand fromage]

Dougie,
There are more than enough machines I believe but I think they like to regulate it to ensure everyone gets a chance to warm up, rather than leave it to chance. The main problem obviously being the 'throughput' of competitors to get through warm up and onto their races.

However, I couldn't understand why last year they would'nt let the first people off get on the warm up machines as soon as they were ready ie before the 20 minute marshalling time. That way they could have got ahead of the 'game'.

Pieman

Yep I'll let you into 'the secret' after Saturday so you know for next time

[JohnAd]

Doug/Richard thanks a lot for the tips, I''m a bit intrigued by the whole cox thing, is that going on at the new venue? I don't think I've noticed anything like that in the videos from.last year, just a cameraman going round capturing the gurning.

How much stuff can you take into the race area, is phone, water bottle and a small towel OK?

[Bloodbuzz Corio]

Piers, thanks for the photo! I certainly haven't shaved since Cardiff so if anyone did watch the video Piers posted in the Welsh IRC thread I'm the chap in the front row with the green shirt and full beard. Rather than the green shirt I'll be in a Geelong Cats singlet tomorrow to add a bit more emotional fuel to the fire - but hopefully the facial hear alone makes me easy to spot!

John - in Cardiff I had all those things you mention + a hoodie in the race and would certainly be expecting to do likewise tomorrow.

Richard - good luck on retaining your title! Unfortunately I'm too new to this game to have seen any of your blog posts on the old ISS site - will certainly be interested in any general musings you have about BRIC after the event.