Hats off to Potter, Mediros, O'Rourke, Burke and Derdowski for kicking my ass today.
Was stoked and pumped on the way there, gave Cameron (of three builder ride infamy) the 411 on the course, left the car at the Corn Crib (yes circumstances demanded that I convey myself in the rusty race wagon). I had first some Girl Talk cranked, waited for the Fugazi Waiting Room Baseline, then switched over to JPow's Epic Shine mix, and then topped it off with a course preview using Metallica CRANKED WAY THE FUCK UP. WAS SICKWHAT style. I think the speakers vibrated some most paint and rust off the driver's side door.
Headed up to the start. Did not feel bad. Got there. TONS OF PEOPLE. Like ALL THE PEOPLE were there. Lots of them.
Burke was fed up with getting beaten by me. When I first showed up years ago he was always one of the fastest dudes there. The first couple he just did cannibal style with the power meter. Tonight? Yeah screw that non-aero shit. He showed up on his Pinnarello with Campy Delta brakes, Zipp solid disc rear and wicked aero front wheel, TT bars and aero helmet. And his SRM. Game Over. He was en fuego. Mediros has been training HAHD for the ironman stuff, always a strong rider, he set a remarkably fast time. And then there was Derdowski. Giving up his Reynolds DV46 tubulars for some Hed 3c (tri-spokes) front and rear (they are for sale btw first $500 takes the pair).
Potter and Eddie, running the same old gear they have each week.
For me this was much more Week 1 sensations than Week 2. It sucked. Big time. Despite being positive, stoked and all that. Actually didn't feel too bad, kept Derdowski in sight (we were doing 30 second intervals because there were so many people) and then the little rise just before the downhill leading into the powerline and the turn on the Reynolds I cracked. Just like week 1. FUcking slow. It hurt.
Then as I'm heading under the power lines, Potter passes me. I was third from last, Eddie started 30 seconds behind me, and Potter a minute back. He took a minute out of me just as we hit the power line before Reynolds. It helped quite a bit on Reynolds having hit as a rabbit, but then we turned back under the power lines and I knew I had way overcooked it matching his pace and I had a micro melt down. Then.
THEN. Eddie passes me. Fuck.
But I kept him way closer. And pulled him right back on the hill on Peck. As we were headed down the backside I coasted, he was pedaling furiously. I recovered enough to pass him back on the hill before the left hand turn and kept him behind me the rest of the way to the finish. But that was it, I couldn't turn the pedals one more revolution with any power.
19:22. Yeah it was faster than week one, 18 seconds slower than week 2. I should be okay with it. But somehow it just kind of sucked. I should be happy right? I'm the guy with the giant target on my back. Eddie, Burke, Aaron, all gunning for me, for me. Somehow I should find a measure of satisfaction in being the marked man. Oh well. That old bike didn't let me down. The old sigma bike computer almost did. No speed reading until a few minutes before the start.
One more week. Next week. Then the two man.
Yeah yeah yeah, no riding this week probably contributed to the shitty feeling in the legs. Got my fueling fucked up too, ate too much too late in the day, no where near the normal level of caffeine either.
Definitely part of me is saying man up you cranky wanker, you did great considering. You fucking motivated everyone else to step their game up, you actually went pretty fast considering everything, and even just looking at the time, it doesn't suck. Still felt like i got my doors blown off.
Add to the "GeWilli will never learn"
here are a few links for reading - about food...
first up, some organic reading
and then - got milk? well ya don't need it
but hey - maybe i'll have a couple bowls of Ice cream to fix everything... yeah right...
heddwch
G
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3 comments:
Do you ever look at your time going past the corn crib? I think it is exactly halfway. I find the second half usually takes 45-60 seconds more but if you got out too hard it can be even worse. I think a perfect ride would have it about 30-35 seconds more but it's easy to get carried away on the first half of that course because it is so fast.
no, not at all. Usually look at avg speed until Reynolds and then going as hard as I can the rest of the way.
Burke and the other faster guys were talking about 35 mph right after the start on the downhill there. I kept it under 30 through that section and then just tried to keep it as fast as I could the rest of the way.
19:22 puts it right in between. not super slow, just not what I was hoping to turn.
Maybe next week will be better. I really want to break 19 like I did last year. But maybe the difference in in the equipment variation from then to now.
We'll see what next week brings. Last two weeks random draw has been riding home with a $100 wad of cash. Next week is the last ITT. The following week is the Two Man TT.
I will try to go next week. Could not do last night. Went to CBTT Wednesday instead but front der cable broke (too short to turn the bars far but the guy transporting the bike did not know that). Didn't realize until 5 seconds after the starter said GO. Fumbled with it but soon realized it was going to be a 39T chainring TT. Actually wasn't that bad. Ended up about the same as my normal cannibal times (I was full aero except no disc cover). Wattage was about 20w under my best for that duration. Avg cadence was only 98.
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