Time Trial!

Some thoughts:

Jesus that was awful.

Nothing like 25 miles of hills and wind to really get you in a good mood.

It was so windy that in the crosswind coming downhill right after the turnaround, I wanted to shift up two gears because I was spinning out - but I couldn't, because I thought if I took one hand off my aero bars, I would get blown over.

Plus, of course, the wind got worse on the way back, when we had to ride dead into it.

Maresh won, but he should have upgraded. Like, a year ago. He beat Pav, albeit by three seconds. He should be in the 3s. Though I'm sure Pav would rip his legs off in a road race.

Matt Landen's TT setup is crazy aero. And with those new Blackwell wheels (80mm rear rim), he's even faster than he used to be.

Lando is selling his Hed 3s and I want to buy them. The problem is, I have no use for them whatsoever. I do so few time trials I really can't justify the expense. If I had a whole TT bike, I could see it, but that's a few years off. Right now, I'm flat freakin' broke and I really shouldn't drop a grand on a wheelset I won't use enough.

Dropping a grand on a wheelset I will use a lot, however, is another story. I'm looking for a new wheelset; I'm tired of the Rovals. Tell your friends.

Wednesday night ride

Went on the Wednesday night last night. It was completely controlled, beginning to end, by Kaos guys. On the way out, Aaron the Mountain Biker just took a flyer after the warmup and we never saw him again. That kid is stupid fast.

So we put together a little chase group and set out after him. It was Dave Rogers, Matt Farnam, Joe Savoie, and me. Our pace was in the 30s until we started into the wind, when it dropped to a measly 27. Got a great rotation going, everybody was looking strong and smooth. Still, we never caught Aaron, and there he was at the turnaround, waiting for us.

On the way back, we worked with the scant tailwind and tried to keep most of the group together. Scott Tarry joined in the fun, as did another dude from Elkhorn Valley I have seen everywhere but never met. I almost answered Dave's attack on the Wall, and stuck with him until the very top. I'm still not very good at carrying my momentum over the top - gotta work on that this year.

All in all, a great ride. I was really excited to be back with the group, and even more excited that I stuck with Dave and Matt all the way to the turnaround. Dave said I was looking good, too. Which just means I'm good at hiding it when I'm in pain. I guess that's good.

Quick aside: As I was typing this, I found a picture of Tom Zirbel's bike from his Gila crash.

Damn.

Also, Bike Masters is doing a double metric century to Harlan, IA on Sunday. I'm doing it. Anybody else want to? I'm looking at you, Mr. Munson.

Time Trial Work!

I looked just like this. But even cooler.

I haven't been on TT bars outside in God knows how long, so I figured I should get in some practice before the race this weekend. I'm glad I did, because I was afraid to tackle even the simplest of turns. But after 2 hrs of low intensity riding, I'm an old pro. Well, more like I can hold a line and turn corners reasonably well now. I'm trying to get some last-minute aero help, too, in the form of a TT helmet from Rich Pearson and hopefully a skinsuit and booties. If I can't get a skinsuit, I don't really care. I'm just trying to do better than last year - a sad, slow 1:11.

I was making this smile/grimace face all day today.

I headed out from my house, got in a good warmup on the smaller climbs around my neighborhood, then headed off down the bike path toward Fort. I planned on doing some repeats around Raven Oaks, then calling it quits because I'm doing the Bike Masters Wednesday night.

I overdid it.

I did Raven Oaks, hit that big monster hill, then went back up the "scenic route," which is almost as hard. Screaming descent though, and much more fun than the white-knuckle descent down the bigger hill. I thought about going home after a few more climbs. I decided not to, and instead headed off to do Hummel Park a few times. I did two trips up each side - but after I took the summit the last time at a blistering 9 mph pace, I didn't want to do that anymore. So I lit out yonder to Fort Calhoun.

While I enjoyed the tailwind on the way out, I didn't realize how punishing it would be on the way back. I took the Omaha Trace over to 72nd, then took 60th back to Raven Oaks and headed home. All the way back on the Trace, I averaged a heady 14/15 mph. It was miserable. On the other hand, I feel like it was a good day. I drank a lot, A LOT, and I actually ate some solid food for once. It definitely helped. On the other hand, I am wiped out. And I'm going to scout the possible Ralston crit course tomorrow morning with my dad, if anyone wants to go. Then the Wednesday night ride... my high-volume week is going well.

Let's hope it pays off the way I want it to.