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Scarletfire/Verizon Wireless 2 person TTT - CycleTime Trial


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Garden Prairie, Illinois
United States
American Bicycle Racing
40F / 4C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 20m 57s
Overall Rank = 74/83
Age Group = W 40+
Age Group Rank = 3/3
Pre-race routine:

Up at 530 for coffee...typical...woke up before the alarm. Made a low cal egg muffin and coffee. Set off the fire alarm, thank god I didn't wake up the baby. Sheesh. Drove 1:15 out to RFD. Chatted.
Event warmup:

Rode the trainer after changing the rear tire, then got a little road time in. Pottied 2x (I remember now that I am a nervous race p-er...old habits die hard). Started to lose core warmth and couldn't catch up. Ended up having to put every layer I had on right before the race. Good news is I sweated thru all 7 layers I had on?!? Not sure how to combat this, but I've been cycling in cold with far less layers, not sure what happened here. Nerves? Mostly my warm up was horrid...it was stupid cold, and I could use warmer cycling clothes, but it shouldn't have been this bad.
Bike
  • 1h 20m 57s
  • 24.73 miles
  • 18.33 mile/hr
Comments:

I knew I was in trouble when I pulled up the aviation weather forecast for RFD (Rockford Airport) at home before we left. At 10am, exactly 1/2 hr into our race, fcst winds 210 21G28...and that's in kts, not mph. I got in the car and told my partner, gee I hope we go NW first and come home SE...oh no, she says, quite the opposite (I did look for the route online but could never find it...it's burned in my brain now...12 miles of headwindy awesomeness!)
What would you do differently?:

It was my first race, I had no idea how it would go. In no particular order, here are the things I learned and will work on in the future:

1. I will conserve pace with the wind at my back to be stronger into the wind. As my partner pointed out, races are won and lost on hills and into the wind. I will train into the wind as much as possible from now on.
2. I need to cycle more. This isn't a BAD or a DISS...I just started, I have muscles that need to cycle more so it becomes more natural like running. TITS, right?
3. Bike Fit. My lower back muscles were screaming by the end of this. I need to find out if I need a new bike or what I can do to make mine work. It's all part of the process.
4. Aero...goes along with bike fit...don't need/want/cantafford a TT bike quite yet, but an aero setup and practice would help, I am certain...being doubled over in the drops was painful.
5. Cadence...my partner promises to kill me on the lakefront with cadence drills...for some reason (bike fit?) I need to push big gears to keep up and I need to knock that off now before it becomes a worse habit.
6. Mental. I am a loser in the middle of a race. I start strong and finish strong, but I falter in the middle...this is true with running as well. Any thoughts out there? I would love to avoid becoming a whiny little crybaby next time. Ugh.
7. Illness. I had been fighting a pretty nasty daycare virus for the last 10 days. Not an excuse. In fact I have been trying to punch the virus in the face, but it keeps kicking my ass.
8. Bad fashion. I simply must look cooler on the bike. I need to spend 1-2k on cycling clothes and maybe then I will go faster.
Post race
Warm down:

Threw everything in my partner's SUV, got a super sweet coffee thing at the closest 7-11 and blasted the heat until we hit Montrose. Got home and Daddy wanted brunch, so it was 2 kinds of pork with breakfast burritos and Champagne...that's recovery food, right?

What limited your ability to perform faster:

All factors related to a being a cyclist.

Good news is I have a LOT of improvement in my future!!!

Also, I was abducted by aliens right after the turn around for 10 minutes or we would have broken 20 mph. Not complaining, just stating the facts.

Event comments:

Really, do I need to blather anymore? Triathletes, do a time trial...it is good for your cycling soul and there's no fixing the mess you make on the run...because I would have kicked some (fast biker) old man ass on the run...nobody with red nylon ice skatey shoe covers will ever beat me running. Just to be clear. Sorry to bring up the run, I just need to feel good about myself for a second. OK. Thanks.




Last updated: 2010-05-10 12:00 AM
Biking
01:20:57 | 24.73 miles | 18.33 mile/hr
Age Group: 3/3
Overall: 74/83
Performance: Below average
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: Standard IL country roads south-east to the turn around then north-west home. Dead into the wind. Awesome. Road condition mixed, but overall, ok.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Below average Hills: Bad
Race pace: Hard Drinks:
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? No
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]

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2010-05-10 9:09 PM

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Expert
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Albuquerque, New Mexico
Subject: Scarletfire/Verizon Wireless 2 person TTT


2010-05-11 8:47 AM
in reply to: #2850062

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Extreme Veteran
552
5002525
Wesley Chapel, Florida
Subject: RE: Scarletfire/Verizon Wireless 2 person TTT
Sounds like a really tough course and race, but I love your attitude.  Great job for getting out there!
2010-05-11 10:10 AM
in reply to: #2850062

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Veteran
458
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Greensburg, PA
Subject: RE: Scarletfire/Verizon Wireless 2 person TTT
Wow!!  Fabulous job!  Crazy wind and freezing weather!  You rule!! 

CONGRATS!!

Karen
2010-05-11 11:41 AM
in reply to: #2850062

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Master
1332
100010010010025
Vista, CA
Subject: RE: Scarletfire/Verizon Wireless 2 person TTT

Love your RR and your sense of humor. Gotta laugh sometimes. You HTFU on that bike with the wind and cold. Good job! FWIW, I've never done a TT but I'm sure it would be quite humbling. Cycling is my weakest, too and more is only gonna make you stronger.

2010-05-11 1:31 PM
in reply to: #2850062

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Extreme Veteran
717
500100100
Chicago
Subject: RE: Scarletfire/Verizon Wireless 2 person TTT
Nice work out there Quincy.  Headwinds can be rough...I always seem to first bike south along the lakefront and hit a headwind on my return home. Actually sometimes I think there is a headwind both ways...don't ask...I have no idea.

I am sorry to hear about the aliens.  I hope you are ok?  See there is a reason that we don't live in the 'burbs right?

But in all seriousness...good job for your first bike race!
2010-05-12 11:06 AM
in reply to: #2850062

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Extreme Veteran
612
500100
Chicago-ish
Subject: RE: Scarletfire/Verizon Wireless 2 person TTT
A TT is just too intimidating for me right now.  Kudos to you for doing it, finishing it and training to kill it next time.

I did a short 16 mile ride last week.  It would have been longer if I hadn't been riding into the wind any direction I turned.  It was like my own personal hellish wind tunnel that followed me the whole ride until I just had to give up.

Q, come up to the north suburbs and ride with me.  Plenty of head winds and I can map a route with some reasonable rollers too.


2010-05-13 8:56 AM
in reply to: #2850062

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Veteran
235
10010025
eastleigh
Subject: RE: Scarletfire/Verizon Wireless 2 person TTT
Quincy, You Rock !!

Very humerous ! sounds like you got some enjoyment out of the pain, not too sure you have convinced me to sign up to a TT yet though !

T
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