My First Time Trial – Road Bike

Serious butterflies.

Ever year around this time it's the same thing. My training is at it's peak, the heat fuels my every workout and I want to compete, or just apply the work I've been doing, OK compete. This usually entails hours upon hours of looking over the races in the area, and I'm picky, too picky. This race seemed to be perfect. Every time i thought about it, butterflies in the stomach. It was a low overhead event, go there pay and race kind of thing. It was a 11.3 time trial put on by a local cycling club and seemed very informal which is exactly what I needed to cut my teeth on.

I've known about this TT for years now, however it always conflicted with the Wednesday group ride i do in Newburyport. Since I've been doing so may of those i figured one night off wouldn't hurt.

I was on the fence until the last minute. The day before the race, to help along the decision, I want out for a quick ride and wanted to see what my times would be so i could compare them to the results of the last TT race. The ride went well, putting me somewhere in the middle for my age group. However we all know that you can never reproduce the conditions of actually doing the race so a loose measure. So there is only one way to know.

Yancy Lent Self test: Mile 7 pace, 22.9, Mile 11 pace 22.0, Mile 16.7 pace 21.8. I was considering doing my first race tomorrow (time trial) but this got that out of my system; for now. Tuesday at 9:27pm

Even on the drive there i was hesitant, thunderstorms, raining, wondering if i exhausted all my energy the night before, did i get enough sleep, was I wasting money, blah, blah, blah. Or maybe i could do a drive by, wimp. I pulled in the parking lot and it looked like it was on. A long line of cars, at one point 3 people within 7 cars putting air in their high end time trial rigs. I was home.

I've recently learned something deep with regards to hobbies. No matter what hobby you are into, look at those you consider the most extreme in that hobby and if you aspire to emulate them, your home.

So slightly overwhelmed with the body types, rigs, teardrop helmets, it actually had a calming effect. I was able to relax and just do my race, i wasn't here to compete with them, just do the best i could and make sure i wasn't last.

I went to the reg table, all 210 pounds of me; down from 220 in winter, and told them "im totally new". They asked if going in the beginning was OK, sure, get it over with early, they put me in position 8. I asked two questions, when would i start and what do the markers on the road look like? It was 5:38, my start time was 6:04. Given my single greatest fear was taking a wrong turn I studied the map and even road for a couple miles to see the first turn... no marker. Either way I'd manage.

It was good to get out for a little bit to turn over the legs and get some fluids in. This may have been my first _road_ bike race but I've done, but I have done tons of road races, they're all basically the same, you stress then everything just pans out. This would be no different. When i got back to the starting line, i was ready.

We lined up by number and went every :30 seconds. Two concerns, start my bike computer as close as possible and clip in fast, to the correct gear. I did notice my wife's friend and riding partner starting 2 or 3 places in font of me. All my other goals went away, I had someone to pass.

I got to the starting line and waited for a very fast 30 seconds and was off. I tried my best to just relax and keep a steady 26 mph. It was all about the breathing, I knew i would go anaerobic it's just a matter of when so pushing that out was key. There were some small rolling hills. I only got off my seat twice in order to not push it. The roads were perfect and at about mile 5 I passed the guy in front of me. Then another mile or so later, Johanna's friend; couldn't for the life of me remember her name, i blame nerves. At about this point another person was in view, the roads were long. I tried to catch her but never did and in the process got passed by the guy behind me. If you saw the two of us together you never guess that, even though he finished a little bit on front of my, i ended up beating him. He was tricked out, tri bike, full body suite, tear drop helmet and the body of a tour rider, it feed my deflated ego. The three of us finished with about a football field of each other with those two together and me behind.

I was happy with my pace of 23.4 but never thought to look at my time, for me 23.4 is way more telling of the effort then the number of minutes it took to do 11.3 miles. So that's what i looked at. When i got back to the results table, I was told my time was just under 29 minutes which is exactly where i wanted to be because that is roughly the middle of the age group pack on the last race. However i was pleasantly surprised when the official results were posted on line. 29:09 and 15th out of 18! 35 out of 50, wow, humbling. This lead to some confusion because my pace on the road and the time i was given didn't sync with the final results and it looked like the guy in 14th had what my time should have been.... and then you find yourself reading into 14th place instead of 15th place out of 18th.... talk about desperation.

After the race I had a great talk with Kelli, after asking her name. She is in a very structured tri program and was headed out for a 1 mile run. She is doing 6 tri's this summer and i wish her all the luck in the world.

Only the future will tell if i do it again. I'm guessing after a few rides in the future I'll convince myself i can do better and end up there bike in tow. Over all a great experience and looking to the future seemed like a bunch of people i could see myself hanging out with.

Yancy Lent First bike race ever tonight. A time trial put on by a local club. Not sure of my place yet but if I use the last race as a guide 7th out of 10 in 35 to 45 age group. 11.3 miles, pace 23.4 mph. Wednesday at 9:28pm via Facebook for iPhone

Things I would do different for next time:

• Clean and oil my chain the day before.
• Drink more water during the day
• Eat a power bar or two an hour before the start.
• Get a longer ride in before hand, i think i only did 3 or 4 miles
• Bring a pump
• Spend more time fixing my number to my side.
• Not go all out the night before
• Go to bed early the night before
• Don't eat a burrito for lunch
• Practice the start

Things that worked:

• Borrowing a pump and making sure my tires were good
• Having the correct amount of fluids (one water bottle)
• Got there a little early
• Not starting on fresh legs
• Tightened my shoes a little more then usual.
• Multi Vitamin at 2pm (who really knows)

Wednesday Night Group Rides: 2010

I'm a group ride junkie. For the past couple of years the fix has happened in Newburyport with a  local bike shop. Their Wed night ride is absolutely exhilarating.

It's the one time a week where you see if you have the legs to keep up with the big dogs. It's no a race, but only the fastest see it that way, everyone else, that doesn't race, goes all out.

Route Map: https://runkeeper.com/user/yancylent/activity/12470028

May 26: First group ride of the year, pure awesome. Stayed with a group of 6 evenly matched but all over the place riders; including me. 36 miles at 20.1 mph avg. Learned about http://www.steephill.tv/  after the ride, apparently they have tons of race videos.

June 2: Group ride #2. 48 hours of recovery from Monday's 112 mile ride wasn't enough, regardless finished up there with the group i was aiming to finish with so i can't complain. 36 miles at 21.2 mph avg.

June 9: Group Ride #3. Wind, the other hill work out. 36 miles at 20 mi/h; rounding, we were at a social pace strolling in at the end. Nightmares tonight for sure, about that fire truck that almost took out the 8 guys in front of me, came around a dangerous corner; we were at fault. Small group, potential rain, and wind scared... a lot of people off, nothing but fast guys, i got dropped half way through; next week.

June 16: Rained out.

June 23: Group Ride #4? Last weeks was canceled; rain. Tonight 37.6 miles at 20.8. Confirmed, well maybe i suspected, the fast guys im always trying to keep up with (along with everyone else) are CAT 2 and CAT 3 (they race). They were all somewhere else tonight so all those that usually finish together road together, however the...re was only a pack of 4 that finished first About 14 started.

June 30: This was one of the best simply because who wasn't there, the elite group. IT was a group of 10 like talent riders that pealed off to 4, the fastest of the group 2 riders. Also great because someone I've befriended (Mark) gave me a few pointers which I always appreciate, and gave me the compliment that i should do time trials because of my steady speed... which i can't wait to do.

July 7: Wed Group Ride: Chose the fast group
and was able to hang until mile 16 where they slowly slipped away.
Then no man's land. Tried like mad to catch them for 21+ miles while
simultaneous staying ahead of the second group. When I arrived in the
parking lot, dripping with sweat and out of breath one of the fast guy's asked
...“did you do the whole route?” I'll take it as a compliment. (I did). 37.6mi@20.0mph (hot night).

Commute Transformation

It started two years ago. I noticed a guy riding his bike east on 133 in Rowley, MA. Given we both travel opposite ways, at about the same time, over a 6 mile stretch, I'm bound to see him a lot. Given cycling is a hobby of mine naturaly I started paying attention.

What i noticed early on was how out of his element he seemed. His atire, bike and handling were all in a constant state of struggle and it reaked of a chore to move forward. I would wonder why he was communing (the bags were a give away) on a bike. The thinking got deeper when i saw him in inclement weather, was it a goal, a dare, a bet, or maybe loss of license or change income? The only thing I did know was his dedication.

Over the months the kinks worked their way out, his outfit became more condusive to the ride. His fit, gate or handeling of the bike went from awkard to pushing the limites of the bike, and then one day he was on an actual road bike. His clothing was better but you could tell his body had changed and he was putting a lot of power into his effort.

Checking out his progress has be come part of my subconscious daily check list, what would be different today?

Well today, the butterfly spread it's wings. This morning he had a full on matching kit (bike shorts, shirt, etc) and he was hammering the peddles. It was a pretty cool site. Now it's just a matter of time before he gets a bike upgrade.