3TTT Trainer to Torrey and Back - On Your Left!

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/95488643

I was a little worried that we weren't going to be able to get out today to train given the chance of rain.  When I got up, I saw that the roads were wet with some puddles here and there but there were patches of dryness too.  I was checking my phone pretty regularly as I got ready just to see if I'd receive an e-mail indicating we were cancelling because of the weather, but never got one.  When I saw that Shannon and Todd were outside just after 6:30, I was glad that they were all in despite the initial conditions.  Galen would have joined us as well, but he got bit by the flu bug and had to sit this one out.  One of these days, we'll get all four of us out, but the weird thing is, we're still killing it with three similar to last week's outing.

For today's route, the plan was to head down to the top of Torrey Pines and back from my pad, which is not as much elevation gain as Stagecoach, but 7+ miles longer.  Seriously though, who "trains" for such a long distance?  I gotta say though that it's quite humbling to ride with those who are willing to put themselves through that kind of torture not just for the sake of competing but also to represent the team. 

We all donned the sexy new black kit today, and it was definitely bad ass.   We looked just as fast as we rode, and the logos just popped.  I wasn't sure the internal hydration pack I wear would fit or feel good inside, but it was fine and didn't feel at all uncomfortable.  It was a little chilly at the start, so we all wore arm warmers or a long sleeve base layer with it.  When people would see us, it seemed they knew we meant business out there as only one guy jumped on for as long as long as he could hang on (two blocks).  There were some legit looking riders out there too, but I guess the rate we passed them plus the fact that we looked bad ass probably deterred most from latching on.  

The training was just that...training, so we got to work on some things as a team.  I think we're definitely making improvements in every outing in terms of smoothness, communication and overall efficiency.  The only challenge was hitting as many lights and stops as we did.  There were definitely more stops today than there was last week, so the constant stopping affected our transitions and momentum a lot.  We worked through it though very well, but it does make us actually look forward to the constant pedaling during January's race.

One funny thing about our ride was that it was just as cerebral as it was physical.  While concentrating on stroke, smoothness, and just paying attention to where we were going, we also were challenged to do math to monitor how long it would be before we would rotate to the front.  I'm sure if anyone looking at me might see a puzzled look at my face at some points during the ride as I tried to figure out when 90 seconds would end  up on my timer.  There was even one point I had apologized to Shannon as I passed to take the front only because I lost track of time and didn't know if I was early or late, which neither is a good thing.  

The weather on the route was a pretty good emulation of what we might expect from Stagecoach based on our prior outings.  Heading south, we hit headwinds most of the way down, but I think we did great in managing our pace and output through it.  On the way back, the tailwind was sweet!  There were times I'd be up front pulling in top gear on a flat going 30 or more with power numbers just barely hitting 200W.  Zoom!

Unlike last week, we opted to just ride nonstop (i.e. with no breaks) although it might have been good to know this before the ride.  Thus, there was only a 24 minute difference between our move time and the actual elapsed time.  Again, this was from all the stop lights, stop signs, having to show ID at Camp Pendleton both directions, me dropping my ID at the guard station on the way out since my left hand was numb at the time we stopped, etc.  

As you can see from our Strava, the hardware bling acquired showed what good teamwork can do.  At the end of the ride, my Garmin showed a move average of 22.8, so considering the extra mileage and elevation gain, I'm thinking its fair to say we killed it...again.  The question that beckons to be asked once again is what would a fourth person have done for this ride?  Stay tuned....

Great job out there, gents, and more importantly, great teamwork.