Carlise TT

Nuking legs, flaming crotch, and passing out at the finish - yup it's a Time Trial.  It was a great day for a Time Trial, sunny and 75.  The did not start off very well though.  When I woke up first thing this morning I could immediately tell that my body did not feel right.  I wasn't hungry at all and I felt a slight ache in my legs.  This did not bode well for the trauma that I was going to be putting my body through later in the morning.

The feeling was only reinforced when I got on the trainer for my warm up.  The legs felt super tight and my head wasn't in the game.  I slowly went through the 45 min. warm up and tried my best to tell myself that I was fine and was going to do well.  Being the the first TT of the year I was hoping to turn a 1 hour 8 min. ride or less.  This would be about what I was doing this time last year.

The course is slight uphill on the way out for the first 12.4 miles.  It didn't help that there a headwind either.  The whole way I felt miserable and swore to myself that I would never do another TT again (this happens every TT and I still keep going back).  For the first leg I turned a 37 minute 20K.

The return trip, however, was blazing fast.  The headwind became a tailwind and this course turned downhill so I floored it the whole way home.  It felt great flying back hitting and holding 25-30mph+.  By the time the finish line hit I was done, I had left everything out on that road and timed my glorious meltdown just right - one more kilometer I and would have collapsed in a heap of useless bone and muscle.

Considering how I was feeling you can imagine the surprise on my face when I looked down at my computer and saw 1 hour 3 minutes and 40 seconds - 9 seconds faster than my previous PR!  Although I finished 5 out of 10 in my cat. I was still elated by the performance I was able to put down this early in the year.  By the last TT of the year I just may be able to crack the hour barrier that has proved so elusive to my palmares.  

Thanks for Reading!

Captain Crunch 

 

Trainig update and Carlise TT Weekend

It is almost time for the first TT of the year.  The Carlise TT is run on a great rolling course - big ring the entire way.  The training has been going very well so far.  Last week I suffered a small set back when I crashed hard through a corner and bruised my shoulder quite badly.  I needed to take some time to let heal.  But by last Saturday it was healed and I went out for my first endurance ride of the year.

What should have been a 70 mile ride to into a 85 mile epic and ended with me on the verge of bonking.  I missed a important turn for the road that would take me over the mountain and back to the valley I live in.  Only after riding for three miles further did a realize that I passed it.  I made the decision to continue down to the next road (hoping it would be shorter to that road) that would take me over the mountain.  Bad idea.  It turned out to be another 5 miles down the road.  Once I got to the intersection I was already at 70 miles and still had to climb the mountain.  

The worst part was that I had enough food for a 70 mile journey, and to be safe I tucked a $5 bill into my jersey pocket - however, somewhere along the way when pulling out one of my powerbars it must have slipped out.  So now I am stranded with 3/4 of a bottle of Clifshot and nothing else and one mountain left to climb and 15 more miles to go.

The ride over the mountain was one of my slowest.  I had to talk myself through the whole thing, telling myself to not go into the red.  It's amazing how the body can react and push through something like that.  I cleared the top knowing it was only another 12 miles home on a mostly down hill stretch of road.  By the time I got home I had been on the bike 5 hours and 85 miles.  It was a great loop and I can't wait to do it again, this time with the right amount of food and my rescue money tucked into my saddle bag.  Click here for the map of the loop I did.

I have one more high intensity ride planned for tomorrow (Thursday) over Clove Valley Rd. to get ready for Sunday's TT and on Saturday I will be heading out for some easy miles with Jim to keep the legs loose and ready to race.  

A full race report will follow Sunday...

Keep the rubber side down

Fawn Grove Roubaix

What a crazy race! Ten miles of loose gravel roads, some on downhill corners, guys flatting all over the place, and riders going down by the dozen. It was an instant classic. The day could not have been better for racing - sunny and 70 degrees. The race started off at a crazy pace with everyone racing to get to the front before the first gravel section. Once everything settled down I was able to start moving up through the field

The course really suited my riding style. It was a nice rolling course with some short but very steep climbs, including one coming on the gravel section, for a total climb of 1000 feet per 13 mile lap. The only problem was that every other catagory was on the road at the same time, so I was passing guys not knowing if they were in my cat. or not.

I rode the race perfectly. I left everything on the course and ran out of gas just at the line (this is a good thing meaning that I rode as hard as I could for the required distance). I also picked the right equipment which helped my final result. I ran heavy wheels and tires, deciding the extra puncture protection would overcome the extra weight. It was the right call, as the race caravan went through 50 tubes and 50 more wheel/tire combos. The guy that parked in front of me before the start was running the same tires as my racing wheels and he flatted 3 times!

In the end my final position came down to a sprint between me and another cat. 4/5 racer, with me just holding on to take it by half a wheel - and only because I threw the bike at the end. At this point I did not know where I had placed. After waiting around for about 45 minutes the cat. 4/5 results were posted. I started at the bottom of the list looking for my name (where it usually is) and kept working my way up until I saw my name listed as THIRD PLACE. I couldn't belive it! I had to double check the sheet to make sure it was right! Results are here.

Overall the entire day was awesome, with a podium spot the perfect way to cap it off. The next race up is the Carlise TT on April 26th. I have been hitting the gym hard to help build up the power in my legs, hoping to break the 40k/hour barrier this year.


Best!
Captain Crunch