Posts Tagged ‘Time Trial’

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My trials continue

Friday, August 5th, 2011

Arriving at the Greenville Spinners Time Trial event last night, I found the trees being blown back and forth. A storm was approaching the course and everyone was checking their smart phones to see what the radar indicated. It was tempting to pack it up and plan for another day, but this was the last Spinners’ TT of the year. I waited to find out what would happen.

Spinners' TT start

Getting ready to start final 2011 Spinners' TT

While I waited, I went out on the course. Going out from the start line the wind was at my back. Tailwinds are funny. You don’t feel them. You just feel like you are flying. There is an amount of wind resistance in front of you as your power keeps you in front of the wind pushing from behind. Sometimes you don’t realize you have the assistance until you are out of it.

Then the course began to make a gradual turn to the left. At this point, I started to feel a crosswind. I could sense the gusts catching my 50c wheels. It was almost rhythmic as my bike would push right and then release just to do it over again.

The flags at the businesses along the route were standing out from the poles. I was thankful that for the most part the course was downhill as I started onto the 3M section and into a more direct headwind. I tucked as small as I could as I tried to avoid the few rough sections along the road at this point.

As I neared the turn around, I was somewhat protected by some trees that kept the crosswind to a minimum. Making that turn, I got started back. This time what had been a headwind became the tailwind helping to push me up 3M.

Once I got over the tracks I eased up to make sure I was saving something for the actual effort. The way it appeared to me, if I went out hard in the beginning I could fight my way through the wind and then have the wind to my back on the long stretch. Then it would just be a matter of suffering up the final approach to the finish.

The lesson I learned this night was that things can change and you have to be prepared to adjust on the fly.

As I waited my start, the wind had died down. The trees were no longer waving in the wind. However, I figured at that point there would still be a residue of the earlier environment.

I went off to attack the first half of the course. I felt pretty good in the first fourth of the course. My one minute man was in sight as we neared the turn onto 3M hill. I caught him on the way down.

The effects of the effort began to break through my concentration as I began to make my way up to the turn around. The rider who had started two minutes in front of me passed me going in the other direction as I started the slight climb to the cone. The pain started to knock on the door of my mind and two negative thoughts hit me… 1) I had hoped to catch my two minute lead, but it didn’t appear that I would. 2) I had misjudged where the cone would be.

I knew the cone is set up near a tree and a turn onto a service road. When I rode out earlier, the cone was not out and I made my turn at what I thought was the mark. Well, the cone was placed at least 100 meters farther up the road.

“No big deal,” I told myself. “Just ride with the pain.” I was determined that regardless of how my legs felt, I was going to keep turning them. As I made the turn I realized I was going to have to manage that for five miles.

I looked at my clock and saw that if I wanted to get the time I was aiming for, I would have to come back nearly as fast as I went out. I settled in to do the work at hand. The pain had seemed to level off and I just tried to reestablish a rhythm. I also began praying that the tailwind would be there as I started up 3M.

It wasn’t. If anything, it appeared the wind had shifted. I kept spinning and looking down at times to see that though I felt I was putting out a consistent effort, I saw the wattage dropping. It wasn’t a huge collapsing drop. It was more like a slow bleed.

I even came out of the aero position in hopes that I could stand and restart my momentum. For a bit the wattage climbed back into my target level. Then once again it began to slip away.

“Forget the computer,” I told myself. “Just ride as hard as you can.” So I did. Everything around me closed down. At this point I wasn’t even focused on the time I might get. I just wanted to finish without giving in to the feelings in my legs.

I crossed the fine feeling like I had a very bad time. To be honest, it wasn’t that great. However, it was better than I thought it was. 23:22 was the finish. Not as bad as my first attempt, but not as good as my most recent.

The top thee finishers were all under 22 minutes. The top finisher was only 2 seconds away from a sub-twenty time. I was fifth – nearly a minute slower than the fourth place rider.

Time trials are a challenge. There is strategy, power, and technique involved. To get a good time, you have to hit the mark on all three. Tonight I think I blew it with my strategy, which led to a decline in power, that then messed up my technique.

It is definitely a trial of the body and the mind. It is also a trial I want to endure and then conquer.

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Happy to be unhappy

Friday, July 8th, 2011

Yesterday was full of unexpected changes. I was trying my best to be negative, but good things continued to surprise me. I finally had to give in and just enjoy it.

Early in the afternoon I walked across campus to get a cup of coffee and to stretch my legs. On the way back to the office I looked out toward Paris Mountain to see clouds begin to build behind it. “Don’t know if I’ll be riding the time trial tonight,” I thought to myself. “I really don’t want to be out there in the rain.”

The main reason I wanted to participate was to go out and get a personal best. If I didn’t have a chance to do that, then I just didn’t feel up to getting out there and suffering or putting myself into danger. Rain – with thunder, lightening, and wind – would create that scenario.

Back at the office I checked the weather map and things didn’t look so good there either. However, around 430 the clouds were breaking up and I could see blue sky. Surprisingly, it appeared that storm was going to stay away for a bit. It was time to go.

I grabbed me a peanut butter and honey sandwich, grabbed a bottle of gel along with some water, and headed out the door. My Felt was on top of the car with it’s time trial setup. My alien helmet was in the hatch. Let’s roll!

The versatile Felt AR

Once I got on the course to warm up, the negative thoughts started creeping back into my mind. The reason was due to the wind. The course was much more windy than it was during the last TT at Donaldson. Basically, that meant even if I rode harder this time, there would be a good chance that I would come in slower.

My plan was simple. I would set up my computer to give me an average power reading. I would then ride to maintain an average that would exceed my last power average and be consistent with what I knew I could do for a 20 minute effort.

I timed my warm up perfectly. Just as I arrived back to the line my name was called. I was feeling cautiously optimistic as I got my gearing sorted and waited to go.

The rider ahead of me was Jake Strasser. When I first saw him there, I was disappointed. Jake is a pretty strong rider and I know that he has a good power output. It crossed my mind that I wouldn’t have the pleasure of a rabbit to chase.

As soon as the countdown ended the surprises kept coming. I came out strong and my average was easily holding over 400 watts. More than that, it appeared that the wind – rather than growing stronger as the evening progressed – was calming. My mental condition tilting upward.

My plan was to finish the course with an average power over 300 watts. I told myself that it didn’t really matter what time I got. The important thing was for me to give my best so that when I came across the line I was spent. If I averaged that wattage for the 20+ minutes, that should be the case.

As I passed the halfway point on the leg out, I could see that the average was still over 325 watts. As I glanced below the average watts line occasionally to see what I was doing I started feeling better and better. Most times I was showing over 300 watts though sometimes touching a low point of 290 – 280.

Then I came into sight of the turning point. Ahead I could see Jake. That was a surprise. I figured I would see him near this point, but he would be going back the other way. Ah, there was my rabbit!

I made the turn at 10 minutes 30 seconds. The slight climb up to the turning point had put a few nagging negative thoughts in my mind, but I put them aside and concentrated on the back of Jake’s jersey. “Find your happy place and just turn in circles,” I told myself.

The average watts read 316 as I made the turn and pointed the Felt home. I caught Jake at last just before making the right hand turn that would take me to the next challenge — the climb up 3M hill. I could see the flag off to my right waving gently, but out from the pole. Here I was getting a crosswind. That meant it would be tough going on the section after crossing the railroad tracks.

About that time I caught another rider. This contestant was riding Merckx style. As I went by, he cheered me on. That made me smile and I settled in to level out 3M.

After making the turn that would lead me to the railroad tracks, I could see that I was still holding watts over a 310 average. “Almost there,” I told myself. What I tried not to tell myself was that this final bit was going to be tough.

As I crossed the tracks I just aimed for the section of the course where the tarmac would smooth out. While that would also mean the beginning of the wind, it would be a welcome relief from the rough asphalt around the tracks. It would be nice to get away from that resistance reaching up and trying to grab my wheels.

Ahead I could see another group. It was one of the teams (three riders in this case) who were participating in the team time trial. It was a co-ed team. As I approached them, I could hear the sound of a vehicle coming up behind me. I did slow slightly as I overtook them at the same time the driver overtook me.

Then it was clear road ahead. I was really feeling it at this point and the average had dropped to around 308 watts. The wattage dropped further as I made the slight descent into “the dip” before the long climb up toward the finish.

As I descended, I found it hard to get my wattage up. My legs weren’t able to turn the gear fast enough to exceed my momentum enough. I used the moment for a chance to catch my breathe before giving it all I had for the climb up to the finish.

I started the climb up having reached a low point of 303 watts. I tried to find a rhythm to my breathing and tried to ramp my power up as best I could. I moved into the 400 watts range and started to find it harder to hold. I kept turning, but watched the real time wattage continue to drop. Still, I was staying over 300 watts.

It wasn’t until that point that I realized that I was going to meet my goal. I finished that final section averaging 350 watts and crossed the line averaging 311 for the effort. My watch showed a time of 22 minutes 39 seconds. Officially, I was given the time of 22 minutes 40 seconds.

That was nearly a half minute faster than my previous best time. However, it was only 5th best for the night. Pat McCallion finished first with a time of 21:22. Of course, he is a South Carolina time trial champion. Unsurprisingly, Eric Christophersen (also a former SC TT champion and runner up to Pat this year) was second coming in at 21:32. Third was my teammate, Mark Caskey, with a time of 22:22. Edging me out of fourth place with a time of 22:37 was Brian Kadien.

I summed it up on Twitter following the race, “Got a PB at TT tonight, but placed 5th. Not happy about it. That makes me feel good.” It was nice to feel disappointed because it means that some of the fire that has been missing from my belly has returned.

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Good, better, but not quite best

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

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.

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T T Tonight

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

It has been over a year since I last participated in a traditional individual time trial. After searching through the archives I finally came upon my blog entry for that event. It will give me something to aim for going into my effort tonight.

It was May 6th when I lined up with a borrowed time trial rig to see how I would do in the “race of truth.” You can read about it in the entry titled, “Telling the truth about the race of truth.” I enjoyed it and after some success gaining a PB on the following Saturday doing the Paris Mountain Time Trial, I was looking forward to some more opportunities. However, in a later post titled, “Trial Love,” I was prophetic is saying I wasn’t sure when I would do another.

That brings us to this evening. I have accomplished one goal of acquiring my own TT rig. Actually, it is my Felt AR road bike with a TT cockpit replacing my drop bars. After the race, I’ll make the switch and get back to using the bike as my primary road ride. I will admit that the Giant TCR Advanced has more than adequately met my needs while the Felt remained configured for the time trial.

What will I be aiming for? I have no illusions of placing high on the list. In my blog post, I mentioned that I finished 7th in my category, but think I may have read the results incorrectly. One thing I do know for certain  is that I finished the 10 mile out-and-back effort in 23 minutes and 32 seconds.

That gives me my goal. To be open about it, I’m not certain I can beat it. I was in VERY good shape at that point. Had I not messed up the turn at the mid-point, I’m certain I could have gone under 23:20.

So, tonight I am hoping that my experience of that event will help me use my head to overcome my lower fitness level. I think that being smart and nailing the turn will help give me a chance of improving my time. Here is my plan…

1. Be less aggressive on the downhill portions of the course. The return for output is much less there than on the climbs. Losing a little bit of time descending could help me avoid losing even more when I have to climb.

2. Settle into the winning pace. On the rolling course this could be a little tough, but I know the speed I will need to average to beat my current record.  I want to pace myself to stay in that zone. Going out an entire minute slower than I did last year could pay dividends on the return. I was over two minutes slower coming back in.

3. Make the turn. This should be a great way to shave off some time. Last year was embarrassing. Now I know to get around that cone as quickly as possible. The road bike geometry should help me with that.

My concern? My concern is my energy. I don’t know if it is the heat or bad sleeping patterns, but I feel very lethargic. If I get out there and go off like a dud, it could all be for naught.

Hey, that’s why we race. I might get out there and find my inner TT specialist! Either way, I’ll know several hours from now.

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Trial Love

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

In my recent article about my first ever Individual Time Trial, I said, “The truth is that I hated it… and loved it.” The rest of the post dealt mainly with why I hated it. By the end of the missive I made the comment, “Next time I’ll talk about why I loved it and why I’m looking forward to getting out there again.” Well, as usual, things came up and the “next time” covered something else. So, today I’m going to give some reasons why I loved the Time Trial.

The first thing to get out of the way is that I loved the pain. It is the primary love-hate portion of the endeavor. However, there is just something about pushing yourself to your limit and going on. In life there are many times when you reach that point emotionally, professionally, or spiritually. Those aspects of life are pretty complicated and it takes more than just gritting your teeth and continuing to churn to reach success.

The Individual Time Trial allows you to take that ball of life’s frustrations and turn it into something real. For a bit you can take all the pressure and stomp on it with every stroke. Here is something you can control. Here is an opportunity to push through and feel the pain knowing you will find an end to it. Best of all, the pain has a measurable purpose. The better you ride above the pain, the better your time.

The second thing that draws me to the Individual Time Trial is that it is individual. You are racing against yourself. In other forms of bicycle racing, you are part of an organism. Every move made by another affects you. That can mean, as in the recent Giro d’Italia, that you could be leading the race at one moment and caught up in an accident the next. It also means that if  you are smart, you can use the tactics of the team or the riders around you to win without using all your cards.

In the ITT, you have to lay it all out. It is just you and your bike against the environment. The wind, the road service, the temperature, and any number of variables are your only competition. Oh yes, you can’t forget that top competitor — the clock. How much time does it take you to lay it all on the line and overcome the variables is all that matters. How well you do or how badly you ride is all on you.

That leads me to the third siren call of the lonely ride. Data. There are all sorts of things to measure and evaluate. Because it is individual and the only thing you are competing against are measurable environmental elements, you can recreate your effort by looking at the data. You can then go out and do the same course again and compare that data. Minute changes can make the difference in seconds — even tens of seconds. It drives you to say, “If I just did such-and-such, I could have saved this amount of seconds.”

So, I am looking forward to the next Individual Time Trial I’ll have an opportunity to race. Right now life is so busy, I’m not sure when that will be. All the end of the school year programs, etc. are really putting a hole in my training. Thankfully, I have a coach who understands and is working with me. I guess it is just one more of those frustrations I can iron out when I start feeling the pain of my next race of truth.

Don’t forget about the 2010 Ride for Mike! Give today

and you could help us pass the $3000 mark!

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I am faster than myself

Sunday, May 9th, 2010

Whew! I’m still tired after the last several days. Thursday night was the Greenville Spinners’ Individual Time Trial. Friday was a nice easy spin, but then Saturday morning rolled around and it was time for me to roll up Altamont Road for the Paris Mountain Time Trial.

Jonathan climbing the mountain

These Time Trials will give you a workout! Photo: Eddie Helton

I made it to the event with plenty of time. My coach had instructed me to get on the trainer for my warm-up. I tried to get the bike on there, but the adjuster was stuck. My bike was not being held firmly in the trainer and I didn’t want to risk messing up the trainer or the bike. So, I decided to do my warm-up on the road.

As I was out there and I wasn’t feeling so hot. My legs were pretty sluggish and my right calf muscle was feeling pretty tight and sore. It was starting to work on my mind. Then I did at 4 minute push at power over my FTP. Once done I cooled down a bit and then did a high cadence spin for one minute. My muscles were starting to feel a bit better, but my mind was still pretty apprehensive.

I pulled up for the start. It was neat to see John Cash, a pretty cool guy from Tryon. It was the first time since the lost of his son that I was able to speak in person. We were talking about it when he was called up. Then it was time to concentrate on the start.

My friends were giving me some words of encouragement. Kirk Flinte, with whom I have had a friendly rivalry on this mountain, was saying he expected a 11:05 out of me. I didn’t say it, but my thought was that I would be happy with a 11:45. Even that seemed like a challenge.

I pulled up behind the rider who would start 30 seconds before me. I waited quietly trying to get my mind blank with no thoughts of what has been, but thinking only about the next few yards ahead. My mind suddenly cleared and my confidence was pretty balanced. I wasn’t on a high or low. I was just ready to get this thing started.

Once again, I had trouble with the start due to the face that I had not done this before. Right when they said for me to go, I started my clock. About 15 feet later I started the climb and there was a timer who actually started the official clock. I knew now that my clock was going to be off.

Oh well, that was okay. It wasn’t my job to keep up with the time anyway. I put it out of my mind and focused on the task at hand.

I remembered what I was told and kept myself in check for the start up to the water tower section. I was holding things just over 300 watts. Then when I reached that first hard climb I picked up my effort just a little more. The turn following that section evens out a little, so I maintained my pressure but didn’t push.

As I was going into these turns I was trying to cut the shortest distance possible unless the turn was a hard grade. In that case, I tried to stay at the crown of the road. This is the way I kept going until I neared the halfway point. There I looked down at my clock for the first time. The numbers were clicking just past 5 minutes. I knew I would be about 5:45 at halfway. Hmmmm, I would have to keep it cranking if I wanted a good time.

He was getting ready to eat my lunch!

He was getting ready to eat my lunch! Photo: Eddie Helton

Once I passed the halfway point, I got passed by a streak of blue! It was Pat McCallion. Ha! This was interesting. I knew he would kill me, but he might be just the thing I needed to get me going. I was afraid that I was a little too mellow and I needed someone to drive me. He would certainly fulfill that need!

I picked up my pace and tried to stay near him. It was kind of funny. Before the race, I was talking with him and I mentioned that the blue pole about three fourths of the way up was my pain post. Seems like every time I reach it, I start to croak. For a fleeting moment, I wondered if he saw the post and recalled our conversation.

Whatever the case, he seemed to pick it up or I started to fade. I had to stop focusing on him and just ride my own race. Up ahead I could see the rider who started 30 seconds before me. I began to focus on her and tried to close the gap. She was doing a good job though and as I came around the turn that revealed the yellow road sign that marks my focus on “The Wall” I could see Pat disappearing around the turn that starts the straightaway of the hardest grade on the route.

I passed my rabbit just as we both turned up to start our own climb to the finish. I shifted to one harder gear and stood. It was time to leave it all out on the road. I didn’t look ahead. I just looked down at the road in front of me and pushed it up. I was afraid to look ahead because I didn’t want to be demoralized by seeing what was left!

Head down and driving for the finish.

Head down and driving for the finish. Photo: Eddie Helton

The fact that the suffering would soon be over was an incentive to keep going. It seemed to go by faster than I thought. Wow, I was almost finished?! I heard some people calling my name and cheering me on.

I continued to climb and I heard someone say something off to my right. It sounded official and for a moment it made me wonder if I they had changed to finish line. If I had any sense in my head, I wouldn’t have had any questions. However, for a moment I eased and didn’t push hard across the line.

It was only a couple seconds, but it is one of the things I would like to have back. I should have kept sprinting across the line.

I pushed the button on my Garmin and saw 11:27. Hmmmm, since I started the clock early… Looks like I would definitely get a sub 11:30!  I would be happy with that!

We waited for the result to come and I found that on this day, I was the 14th fastest rider up the mountain. My official time was 11:24! That is 11 seconds faster than my previous personal best. It is only 9 seconds slower than my goal for the year of 11:15.

Hey, would I have liked to have been faster? I would have liked to have beat Kirk — though he scorched the climb at 11:00. However, right now, I’m just glad that beat myself. I’m already looking forward to August 21!

Afterward, I learned that I’m a pretty big deal. I was interviewed my Neil Browne with the CarolinaCyclingNews.com site. He was asking about Low Cadence Coffee and I appreciated him taking the time to help me spread the word. You can check the video out here.

Neil Browne interviews me about Low Cadence Coffee

Neil Browne interviews me about Low Cadence Coffee. Photo: Eddie Helton

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Telling the truth about the race of truth

Friday, May 7th, 2010

They call it the “Race of Truth.” It is the Individual Time Trial. I did my first one ever last night at the Greenville Spinners Summer Time Trial Series. The truth is that I hated it… and loved it.

The number for my first individual time trial

The number for my first individual time trial

I realize there wasn’t a lot on the line. This isn’t a sanctioned race with all points and everything. However, I was pretty nervous. The person I was most competing with was myself. I wanted to do well and see what type of benchmark I could set for going forward.

The plan was to arrive early and take my time getting set up. I wanted to make sure I got signed up and warmed up with time to spare. Things got off to a great start.

I was early enough that there was time to go out on the course and ride it at a leisurely pace. The goal was to go out and back at an easy, but consistent pace to figure out the road and wind conditions. My thinking was that if I rode consistent I could compare the times of “out” and “back” to see which one took longest. That might help me come the real execution.

Turns out I went out and back in about 28 minutes – 14 minutes out and 14 back. Hmmm, it seemed that the wind was equally working for and against me in both directions. I tucked this information into my head and headed to the Greenville Spinners’ tent to get my number.

I would be rolling off at 6:35. The clock on my Garmin, which I was using for my timer, was several minutes off the official time. This was good to know as I saw one person miss their start and another almost arrive late. Thankfully, I had time to warm up.

Unfortunately, I was dealing with this iBike again. I’m sorry. I want to give this device a chance, but I just don’t trust it.  Every time I go to ride it, I end up trying to calibrate the thing in hopes that I can get the correct reading. In the warm up, I would look down and see either 0 watts registering or what I thought was a very low reading. Once again I stopped to do a calibration ride. Then it was time to pull up to the line.

John’s wife, Catherine James, was starting off two minutes ahead of me. An older rider doing the TT Merckx style was my minute man. Behind me was Neil Browne of CarolinaCyclingNews.com. I knew Neil was a pretty good Category 3 racer. Since this was my very first event as a Category 3 racer, I figured he would be a good measure for how I would compare with my new category compatriots. Mostly, I was hoping he wouldn’t overtake me!

My first new experience was being held at the line. What they do is get you up to the line and then they hold you there while you are completely clipped in and poised to go. “Hmmm, how do balance myself, make sure I get started strong, and start my timer without falling over?” I had visions of myself wobbling off the line and tipping over.

Thankfully, I got away okay. Though, next time, I think I will start right off in the big ring and then work my way up on the rear cassette. Still, I had the bike moving and now things were much more familiar. This was just like riding a bike and doing a 20 minute interval.

I caught my one minute man shortly before reaching the railroad tracks. I wasn’t feeling the best, but I was settling in and knew I would get a tail wind going down 3M hill. I just divided things up and focused on making it to that point. Once there, I just set my mind on making it to the turnaround.

The pace I was setting would have me at the halfway point in under 10 minutes. My mind starting wondering what that would do to me if I burned myself going out and then hit that head wind going up 3M hill. I backed things off just a bit as I started up the hill to the turnaround.

It wasn’t until I reached that point that it hit me I had never done a turnaround in a TT — I had never done a TT! What is the protocol? Are there rules for how this happens? Would I be directed what to do, or was I just expected to know what was going on?

Up ahead I could see a blinking light of a vehicle. Then I could see a cone in the middle of the road. There was my teammate Matt just passing me going the opposite direction. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to see someone make the turn before me. I slowed slightly with indecision.

The cone was right at an intersection. I thought perhaps I was supposed to do my turn int he middle of that crossing. Of course, this was a little past the cone. As I passed the cone, Sam Smith was there with an incredulous look on her face. “Where are you going?” she asked. “Aren’t you going to turn around?” Finally, I got the TT rig going in the opposite direction. I’m certain I lost at least 10 seconds making that turn. Oh well, you ride and you learn!

Almost immediately after getting turned around and starting off, I felt really bad. I had made the outbound leg in just over 10 minutes. If I could have held that pace, I would have done VERY well. However, I knew I couldn’t. Now it was just a matter of hanging on and minimizing the damage.

As I neared the turn that would put me into the head wind toward 3M hill, I started to get that feeling that I often get on the second lap of Tuesday Night World Championships. It is that feeling that I am about to croak and the various body parts were saying, “You are hurting us. We can’t do this. You need to stop.” I had to put that out of my mind. My two thoughts were, “No, body parts, we have been here before and if you’ll just hang with me here we’ll feel better in a couple minutes.” The second thought was, “I will NOT get overtaken by Neil Browne!”

Coming up 3M hill I wasn’t even aware of where I was on the course. My head was down and I was only thinking about the rhythm of my pedals. As I made the turn that would take me to the railroad tracks and then the finish, I started to feel my body getting in order once again… I wasn’t feeling good, just my body parts had finally stopped their rebellion and were working together through the pain.

Just over the tracks, I caught Catherine. She was riding very strong and ended up winning the overall among the ladies. However, it is always a help when you overtake someone because it gives you a goal to aim for when you first see them and gives you motivation to show you are going fast as you ride past them.

That brought me to the dip and the finish. Going into the dip, I started to get stitches. I just kept trying to take in deep breaths and keep pushing. Finally I could see the finish. My body was again telling me, “Hey, stupid, there is the finish line. You’re basically done. Why don’t you just coast across?” Glancing at my timer I saw that it would be very possible for me to make a 23:30 time if I just kept pushing.

I did and I started to feel that nauseous sensation as I neared the line. I couldn’t push out of my saddle. I just keep the same pace across the line. I stopped my timer at 23:32 — that ended up being the official time of my very first individual time trial. The good news is that Neil didn’t overtake me. He finished 6th with a time of 23:09 and I was 7th with my time. The winner, to no one’s surprise, was my teammate Eric Christophersen. His finishing time was 21:20 – and that was after stopping to pickup his computer that had flown off going over the railroad tracks!

I’ll give some more thoughts on this act of pain called the Individual Time Trial later. I think I’ve pretty much described why I hated it — it hurts. Next time I’ll talk about why I loved it and why I’m looking forward to getting out there again.

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Boyd’s Bow and Aero

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

One of the neat things about riding the Tuesday Night World Championships is you never know what Boyd Johnson is going to have in the back of his car. This Tuesday it was a sample of one of his first Bow and Aero TT frames with the new paint scheme. I got a chance to hold it and inspect the lines up close. Nice.

Boyd Bow and Aero TT frame

Click to enlarge

The frame I was holding was a bit smaller than I would ride, but the colors would go great with my POA Cycling kit! It was light, but solid feeling. Some carbon bikes now days almost feel like you are holding paper. I’m certain once this frame gets built up, it will give a feeling of confidence.

The lines are unique – especially the front portion of the frame. You can definitely see the “Bow” in the rear and the “Areo” on the front. By the way, it is all perfectly UCI legal. There are no added on nose pieces here.

I haven’t seen one of these built up yet. However, Boyd did tweet a picture of one he is building up for his Globalbike team. I’m still partial to the red, black, and white frame. Can’t wait to see that one completed and up close. You can see pictures of the cable and component placement at BoydBikes.com.

Globalbike Bow and Aero

Click to enlarge

Actually, I have never ridden a time trial bike before. I’ve never ridden an official time trial either. Only once have I gone out to a course designated as a TT course and attempted a run. I did it with the Merckx style. For my non-cycling friends, that is a method named after famous cyclist Eddy Merckx. It is when you time trial using a traditional bicycle setup. People say you are “Merckxing it”.

I do hope to try a TT or so this year. A friend who is not currently able to ride his TT bike is going to let me borrow it. I guess I need to start practicing on it soon. The Greenville Spinners time trial events are coming up soon as well as the SC TT Championships.

Who knows, maybe someday I’ll have my own Bow and Aero.

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My first unofficial time trial

Saturday, July 4th, 2009

Happy Independence Day! Of course, for us cyclists it is hard to believe that on a day like this our thoughts turn to France — the Tour De France.  Okay, so it actually starts in Monaco.  It is a city-state and not really France.

I’ll be catching the Tour action in the morning, riding some in the afternoon, and then having a great Fourth of July celebration with my family in the evening.  Yes, I will be back on my bike.  I made it back on yesterday for a 2 hour, 35 mile long ride.  I’m looking forward to getting out again.

Yesterday’s ride was one of those rides where I started out at my driveway not sure what I was going to do.  I wasn’t sure how my neck and back would hold up, so I was going to feel my way along.  I just knew the old body needed to get on the bike.

Almost immediately, the legs sent the message that they were happy.  My neck gave me no pain at all.  My right shoulder and back were not quite as happy.  However, it was nothing really painful – more like just uncomfortable.

As I rolled I loosened up more and more.  Before long I found myself heading through Cleveland Park and over to Augusta Road.  It came into my mind to ride over to Donaldson Center and put out an effort on the Time Trial course.  It would be interesting to see the time I managed.

Forty minutes after leaving the house, I rolled up to the start/finish line.  I took off hoping I might end up with a surprising time.  Something in the back of my mind was telling me I was starting out too fast.  However, that first downhill gets you going thinking you can get some good speed that will help your average later.

I was really feeling pretty good until I turned there where the country route leaves Perimeter Road.  That put me into a headwind.  Things suddenly got hard.  I kept trying to hold my speed as best I could.  However, by the time I started to climb up to the golf course where the turn around is, I was putting along.

Turning around I felt better.  This was the direction we normally head when we are doing the Tuesday Night World Championships.  There was something comforting about knowing exactly what was ahead — right down to the road surface.

I know I gave about as much as I had.  As I finished the course I had that not so happy feeling in my stomach that you get when you put out a hard effort.  My Garmin told me that my CinQo had recorded an average wattage of 294.  My time? 26.05.

There is time to gain.  First, I was not 100%.  As I finished my neck felt pretty good, but my right shoulder and my mid-back was moving out of the uncomfortable zone into the annoying ache zone.  I also had not planned on doing this, so I had not fueled up with a TT in mind.  My parfait and muffin wasn’t exactly giving me the boost I would hope.

I think I can get it up to a 300 watt average.  That should put me somewhere between 23 and 24 mph for the course.  That should get me under 26 minutes.  I would love to go out on August 6 and lay down a near 25 minute TT effort.  That wouldn’t be so bad on a road bike.

Trust you will have a wonderful day.  Don’t forget to really celebrate our country — not just the long weekend.  If you are an American, you have much to be thankful for.  I know that American Exceptionalism is frowned upon by the sophisticated of our day.  However, I never claimed to be a very cosmopolitan kind of guy.  I think we live in the greatest country on earth – even if we don’t have the Tour De France.

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Someday I will do a time trial

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

This evening was earmarked for the Greenville Spinners Time Trial at Donaldson Center.  Word is it is a fun evening of opportunities for both serious and beginner time trial riders to complete the race of truth.  At least, that is what I hear.  I’ve never been able to make it to one.

That was going to change tonight.  However, my accident Tuesday night has left me without a bike and with a very sore neck and back.  I tried tucking in a aerodynamic position and my head let me know that it just wasn’t going to happen.  It hurts too much to hold my head up.

If you get a chance to get out there, do it.  The time trials are held at the same location as the Tuesday night rides.  However, the TT course sends riders out in the opposite direction on Perimeter Road.  You go out 5 miles and then turn around to come back.

Your time will be compared with other riders at your skill level.  There is a Pro/1/2/3 group, a Cat 4/5 group, as well as groups for Masters 50+, Women, Juniors, and a Merckx division.  That last one is where I probably would end up.  I don’t have any aerodynamic gear or a TT specific bike.  In the Merckx division, none of that stuff is allowed.

I’m sure it will be fun for all.  You do have to be a member of the Spinners to compete.  Not a Spinner?  Why not? Membership is $25 dollars.  You can have the benefits of membership, support cycling in the Upstate, and have access to tonight’s TT as well as the final one of the year on August 6th.

Hopefully, nothing will come up to keep me away from that one!

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