The Contest: On April 11th, the Amgen Tour of California held two time trials on Zwift—a 10 mile course in which anyone who completed under 21 minutes would be entered into a random drawing. The course was set on Watopia Flat, and TT bikes (in-game, to eliminate drafting) were required to be used for the event.
The Prize: Airfare from winner’s home city to San Jose, CA, hotel cost for 3-day/2-night stay, VIP Ticket to Stage 4 of the Amgen Tour of California, and get set up on a Team Dimension Data team bike (Cervelo P5 w/ Enve disc/front), Team DiData skinsuit (BioRacer Speedwear Concept TT Suit), aero helmet (Oakley Aro7) to get to ride the course the morning of the Pro TT on May 16th.
The Result: I hit 10 miles at 20:59 – only 3 other individuals were able to do the same or better, resulting in a random drawing where one lucky person out of four got the experience of a lifetime. By some stroke of luck, I was selected for the event! Absolutely blown away by the opportunity and can’t wait to throw down on the TT course.
Why I’m Posting: HOLY HELL, I get to go down the ramp at a pro TT -- INSANE!! Also, my position is pretty good on my 2010 Cannondale Slice, Flo Disc/90, Giro Aerohead, and Voler TT suit, and I'm a competent TTer. I recently set the course record at a local 12km TT that has been around for over a decade (TJ Tollakson set the course record at 15:00 back in 2009 – I did 14:49).
I have put my current bike/position through best bike split for the course and the estimated time for the 21.56 mile course is 45:51 – 28.2 mph.
How much speed do you think a fully decked-out Cervelo P5, Enve wheelset, Oakley Aro7, and better skinsuit will get me? I sent Team Dimension Data my Retul fit coordinates so the Cervelo P5 will be as identical as possible, so I’ll at least be very comfortable on the bike considering I’ve never ridden it before that moment.
Looking forward to seeing how I stack up against the pro field on the TT course – should hopefully be able to beat a few sprinters who don’t know how to ride a TT bike well!
Stage Information: Amgen Tour of California Stage 4 TT