Leroy TT 08/30/07

Pacing, quick plans, adapting on the fly and overcoming. Is this why I love Time trialing so much? I am not great thinker really. I mean you wont hear me quote Macbeth or Emerson at that perfect moment when a profound quote is required. But I do love arriving at the time of a TT and then its Showtime baby!! Its time to warm-up and listen to your body and see if its saying good legs, bad legs. Then its looking for clues to the wind and feeling and comparing this night with other nights. Its looking at the speed your carrying without trying and guessing what speed that will be at threshold.

Man I am realizing I am making a pretty big deal out of a training TT, but that is just it, training is when you put all your planning into action and to try things, push the envelope and see how you do. That is a pretty big deal.

I can feel that we have a wind thats only about 5 to 10mph and its blowing from the north. Its pushing me on the out a little, but its not much. When the right hand turn is made and the course starts to head up its a true tailwind. This also means that on the usually very fast 3 miles in it will be a tad slower and I can feel it.

The plan is to go a bit harder on the out than last time on 8/2 to make sure I capitolize on a cross wind thats gonna push me along, but very important not to go so hard as to blow up into the wind on the in.

So I am off and as expected I am going quicker than last time. I am bouncing above and below threshold, but maintaining a higher pace all the way. So as planned I push a bit harder, but again, pace!! In fact approaching the turnaround point I am 3 mph quicker up the rollers. I go 16 seconds faster to the halfway point than last time. 24.4 to 24.9mph a 0.5 mph increase.

On the in I am disregarding wattage completely, but when I do see its its pretty high, but my HR again is a few beats too low. No bother, its a lot cooler tonight and maybe I am still a bit tired. I am pretty sure I am going as fast as last time so I am confident a new record time for me is in the works (and maybe a course record?). The 2 mile then 1mile markers zing by and if I havent said it 20 times already its WAY COOL to be rolling along at 32mph on the clipons listening to the wheels and the wind rush by-oohh and loud gasping sounds, control the breathing too.

It turns out I was slower on the in to the tune of 8 seconds from the 2nd. I'll need to do some analyzing of data mile by mile to see where I lost time, but I sure felt like I was flying. I fly past Jim at 33.1mph in a time of 17:05 and 26.9mph ave speed. I have bested my previous time by 11 seconds and averaged 5 more watts and 0.5 more mph. I dont break anything but my own best and Matt Weeks 16:45 remains safe.


My last mile tonight was 0.3 mph faster than last time so maybe conservng energy paid off for blasting the last mile. But again, I will analyze more data to see where I was underperforming to see where I can chip away at those 20 seconds.

When I spoke with Matt I told him that his time was unreal and its gonna stand for awhile and I feel even more strongly tonight. I know what its gonna take to go 20 seconds faster and it wont be easy. Jim paid me a nice complement and thats that when he sees me coming he says I a look really smooth and fast. By comparison other fast guys look more powerful, but all over there bikes. Being what I call quiet is somethng I strive for. Nothing moving that doesnt need to be as any extra movement wastes energy and causes more drag.

So the planning paid off and I have gone faster with more watts then last time. I lost time on the in, but that could be as much weather as effort (as was the increase of speed To the halfway point). Did I say I love time trialing? I do.