I’d been planning and training for the Karen Hornbostel Memorial Time Trials since early this winter. Back in December I’d finally put my old Schwinn Homegrown hardtail into retirement and at long last switched my indoor training bike to the VanDessel Hellafaster, a legitimate drop bar racing frame that had been hanging in the garage for far too long, awaiting a purpose. I purchased some time trial bars and a Fizik TT saddle so I could practice pedaling in an aero position while indoors because, previous to this year, I hadn’t had any experience riding all low and stretched out like that. So glad I spent some time training this way because I’ve really come to appreciate just how much faster you actually can go when you are tucked and out of the wind.
Hellafaster indoor trainer
There were a few stretches of warm weather where I could ride outside and practice down in the park, but it had been a long winter and, between work and a bout of the flu, I hadn’t exactly stuck to my ambitious training plan. I had, however, just completed a rigorous three day gravel adventure in the desert the week before (see prior Grand Staircase post) and felt good about my general condition and stamina. Not that any of that really mattered. I signed up for this seven-week race series just for fun and to see how well I would do compared to the rest of the field. Of course, it’s a race, so there’s always a little pressure. My main goal for this first trial was to NOT GET PASSED. Other than that, I figured my time would be a baseline that I could try to improve on over the course of the remaining six races. (Five really, since I’ll be out of town for one of them.)
My number for the season. I had to sign up for a USA Cycling Membership to take part in this series of races.
My designated start time is 6:11 p.m. so on race day I brought my bike and my kit to work and was able to change afterwards and head right to the park. I also took some time during the day to wrap the somewhat slippery TT extension bars with bar tape which made such a big difference in feel and grip. It immediately made me much more comfortable and secure on the bike.
My ride
I made it to the park in plenty of time for a nice leisurely warm up in the late afternoon sun. We couldn’t have asked for better conditions. It was in the mid-70’s with light winds and blue skies – a perfect race day. The Smoky Hill parking lot was packed with vehicles and bikes. Riders in skinsuits and aero helmets were warming up their legs, cruising up and down the lot like sharks, coasting effortlessly at slow speed, their power in reserve for now. Some riders had rollers set up beside their vehicles so they could warm up right there, just like the Tour de France teams do. Other than watching the TDF I had never seen so many beautiful bikes in one place before. Not surprisingly, all these men and women looked super fit as well. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who had been doing some winter training. It made me very curious how I’d fare in such an elite looking crowd.
After fiddling with my race number and getting it stuck to my jersey, I got on the bike and started warming up a bit myself. I rode down and talked to the old guys running the registration tent, thanked them for all the work they’d done with this race series. Their club is called the Cobras. They’re all volunteers and they really have their act together. This event is very well-organized.
After chatting with the Cobras for a bit I still had plenty of time so next I rode over to the starting line to see how that all worked. There were a few volunteers there under a canopy keeping things moving, keeping the cyclists organized. A digital clock right by the starting line showed the exact time and one of the volunteers gave a count down to the rider while the other volunteer held the seat of the bike so the rider could get clipped in and ready to launch at time zero. The starting line was actually on a hundred yard incline so I was curious what gear everyone was starting out in. It was looking like they all had to grind pretty hard to get up to speed on that first hill. This was how I had planned to start too, so it was reassuring to see some of these more experienced racers taking this approach.
I rode around a while longer, ate a fig bar, drank the rest of my salty drink and then rode back up to get in the queue at 6, 11 minutes before my start time. It was a blast to watch the folks in front of me starting every 30 seconds, tearing up the hill and around the first bend in the road. When my time came I rolled up to the line, one of the gentlemen stabilized my bike and I got clipped in and ready. I got a 10 count and stood up in the pedals for the last 3, 2, 1, GO! And I was off.
Waiting to go!
I stayed out of the saddle for the first hill and then got into a tuck and stayed there for the duration of the ride. This is where practice paid off. The course itself is 9.7 miles long and so it’s not possible to sprint the entire time. Not for me anyway. It’s more a matter of riding as hard as possible but still pacing to finish strong with every last bit of energy. You know that feeling when you have pushed so hard that you feel like you’re on the edge of nausea? That’s what I was shooting for when I came across the finish line. Fortunately for me, I live right by the park and ride these roads all the time. Every climb and turn, every bump and crack on the road is part of an inner map in my brain. I think I could almost ride this course with my eyes closed and this really helped with pacing.
I didn’t have my eyes closed of course, but the race itself was a blur. I was focused on the road 10 feet in front of me, on my breathing, on keeping tucked and comfortable, on my cadence and keeping a smooth pedal stroke, on shifting right at the right times as the hills and mild wind affected my speed. Most of all I was focused on PASSING THE GUY IN FRONT OF ME. It is such a good motivator when I have someone to chase. Of course, I was also concerned about getting passed, as I had seen some young guys in the start queue behind me that looked like they could smoke me if I wasn’t careful.
I reached the turnaround and felt good. As I did a 180 turn and headed back east I passed the young guys coming the other way and was reassured that I still had a good gap on them. It would be very hard to catch me unless I really tanked in the last few miles. On the other hand I didn’t seem to be closing the gap with the guy in front of me. I brought focus back to myself and tried to increase my speed. My bike felt good, felt fast. I flew through this flat, straight part of the course and approached the ascent on the northeast side of the park knowing it would be a grind, but I fought through it and kept good speed up and into the intersection, getting a wave-through by the cop who was helping direct cars and bikes. Now, a little straightaway before a fast descent. This is where the aero frame and wheels on the Cannondale really shine. I shifted to top gear and tried to max out my cadence with about a mile to go. Before I knew it I was at the roundabout by the lake and then approaching the final climb before the finish. Lo and behold I had gained time on the cyclist in front of me. The gap closed even more as he started up that last hill and I knew I had him. I think I heard him groan when I passed him. Sorry dude. I rounded the final corner and was up and out of the saddle, cranking as hard as I could over the finish line. Woohoo! I was sucking wind and slightly nauseous, but very happy.
It was a short coast downhill back to the truck where I unceremoniously put the bike on the rack and got ready to head home. I realized that, in the excitement of the start, I had forgotten to reset my bike computer so I had no idea what my actual time was. The finish line ref would post times on the Cobra website at some point but, in the meantime, I was happy that I gave it my all. That was enough for the time being.
When times were posted the following day I saw I had ridden the course in 26:17.7. This was minutes faster than any of my practice runs earlier in the spring. I had also set not one, not two or three but a total of four Personal Best times on various segments of the course. Given how often I ride those roads I was kind of shocked at that, but I think this is where staying in that tucked aero position makes such a difference.
So, there you have it, my first time trial race. I feel like I set a good baseline for myself and hopefully I can get my time under 25 minutes by the end of the series. I just bought a fancy aerodynamic front tire for the bike and that alone should save me a couple seconds! The rest will have to come from grit and determination.
Can’t buy that.
Cycling and Other Pastimes 