Presque Isle TT, Fall 2008

I am starting to see a pattern here at Presque Isle. Its a dirt simple course, ever so flat, but slightly down to the turnaround and ever so slightly up on the way home, but still flat. He (or she) who maximizes the headwind section at each event does the best. Which way is the headwind (or cross or swirl)?? Show up and then you'll know. sometimes your not sure even after the finish.

I arrived extra early for a 8:01:45 start (8th starter). I hate being so early. Not only because it rushes the start I get a lot less potential rabbits to chase, whihc become really essential late in the run here as the legs always seem to tighten up with about 3 to go and the motivation starts to waiver.

No drama as I start with a good burst out of the gate and look down and realize my speed is not reading. I bumped the speed sensor mounting my disc and now I have HR, time and cadence. OH did I mention my goal for this race was to break 28mph ave speed? I also forgot to start an interval on my Powertap (PT) so now I dont have an accurate race time too. Bummer.

But I hammer away at a 53x13 at 92 cadence for miles. In fact I would spend 95% of the race in one gear...you guessed it 53x13. I fell to about 87 cadence for almost the entire rest of the race too, but when I did the math in my head I realized shifting down to raise cadence I would need to average 105 cadence to go about the same speed and i know that was not possible. So I kept it in one gear as that was what my legs would pull.

Without a speedo I couldnt shift to the 12 and see if I could hold that a few tenths higher. It would have been a guessing game.

I had wanted to do a TT with no data and just go as hard as I could, but I didnt plan on doing this at PI. I had planned on it for Jim Behren's Leroy TT after PI.

I guess what I am trying to say in a round about way that had I known I was 0.1mph off of a 28mph run the whole run I know I could have stepped it up. Call me data dependent, that's fine. Whatever or wherever you find the motivation I always say!!

Are you saying i am making excuses? I am sure your right. I didnt have a very good week of training either, but that's something you just have to deal with. I was well rested anyways.

But I am still happy with a personal best 26:52 and 5th overall and 1st in the 40-44 age group. Dave Thornton from Erie, Pa whom you guys will recognize from the Team Lake Effect cross races last year was 2nd only 30 some seconds behind so I need to get my bootie in gear. Hell be in the 26's soon too.

Some locals really tore it up this morning too. Team mate Brian Batke went 25:5X!!! He won fastest time of day (I want one of those FTD t-shirts someday) and Rudy Sroka got 3rd Overall at 26:3X!!! Combined with the time set by his under the weather son Robert they won the Family division again. Great job guys!! Too bad Robert was sick because I think a few of us were hoping wed see him go 23mph or faster average speed on his cross bike no less. Next Spring Robert you'll go 24mph and I'll go 28+!! OK, deal? Young Austin Diffenbacher also improved his time from the Spring about 5minutes too and he hasnt been training on the bike either.

So I feel a I have fallen a bit flat in the time trials lately, but at the same time I did win JCB Biathlon mostly due to the bike so the TT hasnt been all bad. I enjoyed riding my P2SL so much this year I did the entire course again today at Endurance pace and just enjoyed maybe one of my last rides on it on the roads till 2009. I really didnt want to stop riding it this morning. hahaha..there goes Ray riding into the sunset on his trusty steed.....


Now thats a sight!! Till Presque Isle 2009!!