Originally I wasn't sure if I was going to do this race, but Todd talked me into it by saying it would be a great way to set a baseline for the rest of the season now that they plan to hold Time Trials regularly through the year. That seemed like a good enough reason, but admittedly I was worried about not having put in a lot of TT time since our race back in January. I did get all of one ride in last Monday on the bike, so....
I arrived early, or so I thought, so I can get in some warm-up and sighting laps just to practice making the turns while staying on the aeros. After signing in, I got ready and jumped in my speedsuit only to have to strip it back off since one of the pins holding my number on popped off. I also forgot to put on my heart rate monitor. I guess I need to work on my pre-race routine too. HA HA. Anyway, after I got my act together, I managed to get in only 2 warm-up laps. Better than nothing I guess. The noticeable difference being on the course on my TT bike vs. the road bike was that for my warm-up laps, my average speed was 23.6 mph! And that was after coasting in the last stretch too. Man these bikes are fast!
When I rolled up to the start line at the end of my 2nd lap, they asked me if I wanted to go already so I said "sure." Never having started on a TT before, it was pretty cool that Jeff (the previous owner of Ladera Ranch Cyclery and one of the race organizers) holds your bike up while you sit on it waiting to go. When the guy at the table counted down to 0, Jeff let go and I started pedaling down the course. I probably could have loaded the pedal more because I thought he may push me off, but now I know better for the next race.
So I started off and kept thinking about PV's motto to take chances and Noah's suggestion for my last half marathon to race as if it was my last one...both offering great inspiration and amping me up wanting good results. I think I took off a little faster than I wanted to, and with my battery on my PT dead, I had no real idea what the hell I was doing power-wise. I just ended up going with the flow and telling myself, at least be faster than your warm up laps!
On the back side of the course, I was easily hitting 30-31 mph speeds and it felt pretty good. The bottom of the course, however, was the equalizer where speeds dropped more due to the wind and seemingly a slight incline. As I approach the finish line, the question of "how many laps am I suppose to do on this thing anyway?" popped up. Oops...I forgot to ask. I guess when I cross the finish and they tell me I'm done, I'll stop. Otherwise, I'll just keep going. No one said anything, so off I went.
My 2nd lap wasn't as strong as my first lap, but I may have also pulled back a little simply because I didn't know how many laps I was supposed to do. Idiot! When the 2nd lap didn't look like I should finish, I kept going almost believing for sure the 3rd lap would be it. I even picked it up slightly at the tail end of the 3rd lap as well as crossing the finish beside the table (which is what you're supposed to do on your final lap), but when they didn't say anything yet again, I kept going.
To end the suspense for you, the actual number of laps is 4. After my 3rd lap, I checked up a little just to see if someone was going to call out and tell me to stop, but by the top of the track, I realized nope...keep going! I'll give what I have for the 4th lap and just roll off after, so that if it is more laps, screw it...I'll do them next time. Lucky for me, the 4th lap was the final. Yippee! At the end, my official time was 24:11 with an average speed of 25.68 (25.7 on Strava).
Todd arrived there after I did, so I didn't get a chance to speak to him much and actually didn't even see him until he came in on his last lap. He had donned his BRCM skinsuit too, so it was cool we were able to represent. He had also donned shoe covers and had a disc wheel, so he was truly in full aero mode. Sick! He bested me in his time with an average in the 26's and with a time in the 23's. I think his power average was 365 if I remember correctly as well. Monster! No one expected less, right?
Now to our surprise, guess who else we saw on the course representing BRCM. Nope...guess again. Nope. Nope. And nope. Let me give you a little hint: He was an original BRCM lunch rider. It was none other than Mr. Andy Naylor himself! He was back on his P2C TT bike and in good form. Further, he was wearing the original white BRCM jersey! Sweet! Welcome back, bud! We all spoke after, and hopefully he'll be joining us for our lunch rides soon.
I'm definitely doing more of these down the road. I'll still consider hitting the crits if there are enough people coming out to do so, but it felt safer and less manic to do the TT yet still provide a great workout. My legs are toast for sure. I encourage others to give this a try as well. Good stuff!
Pictures courtesy of DKT:
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| He's back!!! |
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