Testing Tales of the Time Trial

On July 2, 2010 I competed in my first time trial since my 7th place finish in the State Time Trial in 1997 (I placed 3rd in 1996). It was a 15 mile event at the Bud Harris Cycling Track in Pittsburgh, and I finished with a time of 36:34.  On August 20 of 2010 I did another 15 mile time trial and finished that one in 35:06, one minute twenty-eight seconds faster.  Good improvement.

Exactly one year later, on July 1, 2011, I once again raced in a 15 mile time trial, and finished with a time of 34:31 (26.07 MPH average speed), two minutes three seconds faster than the 7/2/10 race and one minute fifteen seconds faster than the 8/20/10 race.  Much, much better improvement.  I was very happy with that result and time.  It shows that I'm on the right track but there's still room for improvement.

With that said, it all fell apart last night, July 15, 2011, at the 20 mile time trial.  Going into the event I was feeling a little tired already from mowing a hilly lawn and then climbing up and down a ladder painting walls, but I was feeling up to the challenge.  However, just a few miles into the race I knew it was all over for me.  My legs felt like I was churning thick butter with them... slow and laboring.  I tried to fight through it thinking I'd come around, but it wasn't to be.  At the 15 mile mark I saw that I was considerably slower than my time at the 15 mile race just two weeks earlier.  People I passed at that race were now passing me.  I did what I could and gave it everything I had for the last 5 miles, and ended with a time of 48:09, good enough for 8th place in the Men's Open.  Blah... completely empty.

Today, the day after, I'm still feeling the effects... sore legs, sore shoulders, sore back, and all around tiredness.  Whew, time to regroup and put it back together.  In two weeks is another time trial, the big one, twenty five miles, which I did last year in a time of 57:09, a 26.2 MPH average speed.  My head believes I can beat that time, I just hope my legs do too.

And kudos to my great teammates for their awesome results in last night's race too!!!

Deflated at the Hilly Billy

In my last post I told of my training for an upcoming race, the 70 mile Hilly Billy Roubaix, and how I hurt my back bad in that particular training ride.  Well two weeks went by between that injury and the race, and with a lot of chiropractic therapy, ice, and stretching, I went into that race as close to 100% as I could get.  I was feeling very good.  My back wasn't hurting or bothering me at all and I felt pretty comfortable with my fitness.  I was also on a high from just being at the race.  I was really excited just to be there as I knew it was going to be a lot of fun.

So... short long story short, by the time the whistle blew for the start to around 16 miles into the 70 mile event, I had five flat rear tires!  I had two spare inner tubes and a patch kit, but that wasn't enough on these harsh, horrible roads, at least for me.  I can't even recall at what mile markers I had the first four flats, but on the fourth flat the "sag wagon" rolled up behind me (the sag wagon is a vehicle that tails the race and picks up people who can't finish).  I asked the driver, "I'm the last person on the course now, huh?"  He replied, "Yup."  My heart sank some and the last of my imputus was about gone.  I got that flat fixed and he followed me and as I was going up another dirt climb my rear tire was going mushy again.  Flat #5.  At that point the driver of the sag wagon, Jeff Gernert, and I fiddled around with the tire a bit and then decided it was a lost cause.  He then proceeded to put my bike in the back and handed me a beer and we drove off.

I was eventually handed off to Rick Plowman and his dad for a ride back to the start/finish line (Rick was also out of the race due to a nasty crash which required stitches in his knee).  I cleaned up, put on my happy face (a competitor never wants a DNF by his/her name!), and eventually made my way to the 100 pizzas and two kegs of beer waiting for all the participants.

I was sad that I didn't get to experience the full glory of the Hilly Billy but what I did get to taste made me hungry for the full plate next year (and the post race festivities were quite a treat too!).  I still had a blast despite my flat tires.  As this WAS my first attempt at a race on dirt let alone the craziness of the Hilly Billy, I had some lessons to learn, which I did.  I am truly looking forward to it next year!

(For a full gallery of photos, visit Fred Jordan Photography.)