My first race in five months, I decided that since I was going to suffer with my transition back into TT racing anyway, the only way to go was to ride a 40k gut busting effort, and so I signed up for the CBR California State Team Time Trial Championships (2-man).
I arrived in beautiful and lush Palmdale CA on Saturday, and waited in the hotel lobby drinking copious amounts of Sobe Lean. The local Bank of the Dead Cactus digital marquee sign read a cool 97 f degrees. Winds were kicking up at about 10-15 mph (est.), blowing from the east.
My partner in crime, Grant (Team Jose Ole) showed up at 5pm and we headed out to the race course to pre ride and practice transitions.
Wind on the course read 8mph with a digital anemometer, blowing straight out of the east. With the wind assistance, we pushed 30 MPH easily and knew that the real race will begin at the turn-around as we head back into the wind for the final 20k.
The promoter, Uncle Tren, showed up with his truck and let us motor pace for about 10k of the return effort.
The next morning (race day) we showed up on the course only to find police squad cars and barricades blocking off the far end of the road leading to the registration area. We rode up to ask the cops what had happened.
Apparently a body was found earlier that morning on the side of the road.
I asked if the John Doe was wearing an aero TT helmet. The cop did not seem amused. I digress.
The race started a little behind schedule, but I felt properly warmed up and ready to tackle the distance. Surprisingly, the wind was negligible and not a factor, which was rare for this course.
I have been practicing and experimenting with time trial pacing, and looking forward to trying out my new 40k TT pacing plan. We started off as planned and gradually built speed.
My Javelin Arcole performed flawlessly, as usual. A very fast bike and perfect for this course. For '06 I will be on a Javelin Barolo, even faster.
15k into the race, we had a run in with some local wildlife. A pit-bull mix scurried out of underneath an abandoned car and ran into the road - started chasing the TTT group ahead of us. I guess it was extra motivation for the team as I noticed that their speed picked up right away. By the time we were on the pit bulls radar, he was too pooped to make chase.
At the turnaround I felt that we had paced the effort very well and wanted to continue to our average speed of ~27 MPH. I started to cramp at 30k and worked through the pain. The wind became a factor again and slowed our average speed. With 5k to go we started taking shorter pulls and increased the speed to 28 MPH. At the finish, we crossed the line at 31 MPH at a final time of 55:37.
I was in a state of extreme fatigue and had very labored breathing. This was one of the most difficult races I have completed in the last two years, yet very rewarding.
I took Arnie Baker’s “No Water for 40k” advice, and it worked, although I coughed up desert dust for several minutes following the race.
The 1st and 2nd place teams consisted mostly of CAT 1/2 riders, and since we raced the Open Men category, I was happy with our bronze medal finish and my efforts considering I have had very little formal training since early this spring. Saw fellow ST'r viking1 (Scott) out at the race with his Long Beach posse.
Watch out for those pit-bulls!
I arrived in beautiful and lush Palmdale CA on Saturday, and waited in the hotel lobby drinking copious amounts of Sobe Lean. The local Bank of the Dead Cactus digital marquee sign read a cool 97 f degrees. Winds were kicking up at about 10-15 mph (est.), blowing from the east.
My partner in crime, Grant (Team Jose Ole) showed up at 5pm and we headed out to the race course to pre ride and practice transitions.
Wind on the course read 8mph with a digital anemometer, blowing straight out of the east. With the wind assistance, we pushed 30 MPH easily and knew that the real race will begin at the turn-around as we head back into the wind for the final 20k.
The promoter, Uncle Tren, showed up with his truck and let us motor pace for about 10k of the return effort.
The next morning (race day) we showed up on the course only to find police squad cars and barricades blocking off the far end of the road leading to the registration area. We rode up to ask the cops what had happened.
Apparently a body was found earlier that morning on the side of the road.
I asked if the John Doe was wearing an aero TT helmet. The cop did not seem amused. I digress.
The race started a little behind schedule, but I felt properly warmed up and ready to tackle the distance. Surprisingly, the wind was negligible and not a factor, which was rare for this course.
I have been practicing and experimenting with time trial pacing, and looking forward to trying out my new 40k TT pacing plan. We started off as planned and gradually built speed.
My Javelin Arcole performed flawlessly, as usual. A very fast bike and perfect for this course. For '06 I will be on a Javelin Barolo, even faster.
15k into the race, we had a run in with some local wildlife. A pit-bull mix scurried out of underneath an abandoned car and ran into the road - started chasing the TTT group ahead of us. I guess it was extra motivation for the team as I noticed that their speed picked up right away. By the time we were on the pit bulls radar, he was too pooped to make chase.
At the turnaround I felt that we had paced the effort very well and wanted to continue to our average speed of ~27 MPH. I started to cramp at 30k and worked through the pain. The wind became a factor again and slowed our average speed. With 5k to go we started taking shorter pulls and increased the speed to 28 MPH. At the finish, we crossed the line at 31 MPH at a final time of 55:37.
I was in a state of extreme fatigue and had very labored breathing. This was one of the most difficult races I have completed in the last two years, yet very rewarding.
I took Arnie Baker’s “No Water for 40k” advice, and it worked, although I coughed up desert dust for several minutes following the race.
The 1st and 2nd place teams consisted mostly of CAT 1/2 riders, and since we raced the Open Men category, I was happy with our bronze medal finish and my efforts considering I have had very little formal training since early this spring. Saw fellow ST'r viking1 (Scott) out at the race with his Long Beach posse.
Watch out for those pit-bulls!
Last edited by:
Gary Tingley: Aug 21, 05 21:04