Sitting in my office at around 4PM I brought up the weather map. The forecast for the next several hours called for potential thunderstorms. Walking outside and taking a look at the sky showed clouds north of Paris Mountain. To the south things didn’t look so bad. Looked like the Greenville Spinners Time Trial at Donaldson Center would be on.
I rushed home to get ready. All the while the clouds continued to mass. I could hear thunder in the distance. It would be my luck that I would be all ready and get there just to get dumped on. Still, it was worth the chance.
What a surprise to find that when I arrived it was overcast, but not threatening. The bigger surprise was that normally windy Donaldson Center was dead still. The flags hung limply from their poles.
Hmmmm, low wind and cloud cover easing some of the oppressive heat from the sun just might be a good setup for a good time. The only weather condition that might be an issue was the incredible humidity. You really could feel the air around you.
I got registered and started warming up for my 6:09 PM start time. As I followed the course I took note of the road surface and the various flags and trees around the course that could give me an indication of the environmental factors. Another objective was to map out in my mind how I would approach the terrain.
When I got to the turn around spot, I hoped to find the cone so that I could practice making a quick turn around it. Unfortunately, the cone had not yet been placed. Also, traffic was heavy at that point and I had to stop with several other riders to wait for it to clear so we could start back.
Arriving back at the start I just had enough time to swallow some gel and jettison one of my water bottles before I was called to the line. I would be about fifth out. I slotted in and waited for my turn.
The track start still was uncomfortable for me. I’m sure I gave the guy holding my bike fits as I couldn’t seem to get my pedals positioned correctly and my weight shifted around. To make matters worse, I shifted my weight on the aero-bars and pushed my elbow rest down. The count down got closer to “Go!” and I tried to put all that out of my mind.
Then I was off! My goal was to beat my time of 23:32 from the previous TT I did a year ago on this course. I wanted to do well on the finish sheet, but that was not my primary focus. The person I wanted to beat the most was myself.
I had started in my big ring and about the middle of my rear cassette. I tucked in my aerodynamic position and started shifting the gears into a consistent cadence. I worked to hold myself back a bit in this first section to around 300 watts.
Immediately, I could tell this wasn’t a warm up anymore. As I started up the first incline my breathing began to change. I focused on avoiding quick draws into my lungs and tried to bring my breathing into a rhythm with my pedal strokes.
Alone, cutting through the heavy air around me, I was suddenly elated! This time a year ago, I was on pain killers with a neck brace and sleeping in my recliner. “I’m alive!” I thought to myself. “I’m not just alive, I’m competitive.” Sure, I wasn’t back to the point I had reached last year, but I was better. Suddenly, it didn’t really matter how I did. I was just enjoying the moment.
Crossing the tracks I reached a straight section where I could see ahead to the next turn. There was my minute man. Hey, maybe I could catch him. “You’ve got the majority of the whole course to do it,” I had to tell myself to keep from accelerating too quickly.
I didn’t really have an idea of how I was doing with my time. Unfortunately, all the uncertainty with my start caused me to forget to start my computer until a number of seconds into the effort. How many seconds I did not know.
My minute man got closer as I made the turn that would bring me to the turn around. I could also see several other riders ahead or coming toward me. I might not have the best time, but I certainly was going to have a time better than most.
As I got to the cone, my minute man was just starting off on his return. Going into the turn I found myself coping with another participant who was just passed by the rider in front of me. I had to negotiate around him, but my turn was still waaaay better than last year!
So, I had already overtaken the rider who started 2 minutes in front of me. By the time I made it to the first turn that would take us to 3M hill, I passed my minute man. Up ahead, I could see yet another rider. It was encouraging to have some targets.
At the same time, I was starting to feel it. I found myself wanting to mash on the pedals instead of pedal in circles. As I would get my legs back in form I could feel the lactic acid begin to build. “That’s not pain,” I would repeat to myself. “That is power.” A grin came to my face as I found myself actually enjoying that swelling feeling that comes into your legs as your heart rate nears its threshold.
I passed the third rider before I reached the rail road track. I was struggling a bit at this point and the thought of the final climb began to affect my effort. It was at this point I probably lost time that I could have gained. My power average for that section was a dismal 209 watts. My thought was on saving something for the climb.
As I started up, I could see the fourth rabbit up ahead. I put my head down and went after him. I caught him at about 1K to go. Then I knew it was just me to beat. I had the sensation that if I continued to sit I would start to fade, so I stood and began to push toward the line.
I knew immediately that I had left something out there. My calculations left me with a bit in the tank. Of course, the number one rule of time trials is to leave nothing there.
Looking at my clock, I could tell that it was going to be close. I cooled down and made my way back to the officials’ tent. The more I figured in my head, the more I began to think I might end up with a time very close to my personal best. At the same time, I wasn’t sure I beat it. Just how long was it before I pressed the start button?
I pulled up to the tent. “Could I have an unofficial time?” I asked. The volunteer took a look at the spread sheet… “23:08″ Yes! I had beat my time!
Still, I knew I was far from the fastest time. People regularly turn 21:00 to 22:00 lap times. Turns out there were two Cat 4 racers with faster times (22:38 and 23:00). However, since there were only three of us in the Pro/1/2/3 field, I got a second place. I trailed Eric Christophersen by 57 seconds.
My evaluation? It was good. I followed my plan and accomplished my goal. It was certainly better than last year. However, it was obviously not my best. My power average was well below what I know I can turn out for 20 minutes.
Well, now I have a goal for when we take to the course again in July. It won’t be a time goal. It will be one simple objective: Go for broke.
