Wow, I love competing!!! (Texas Iron time trial)

Okay, so I usually do a weekly training update on Sundays recapping the previous week's training. However, this week sucked for training because of work and weather issues, so there's not much to report . . . . except the time trial we did tonight at the Thursday bike workout with Texas Iron. It was pretty darn fun, and I did well, I think, so I thought I'd write about it.

The Bike Change.

First of all, I have to set the stage. I'd been thinking for months about changing out the aerobars on my Guru. It came with Profile Design Carbon Stryke bars, which are very nice bars. However, they are shaped kind of like an "L" lying on its side -- the grips and the bar end shifters are sort of "up" and you grip them kind of like a ski pole. Look at my profile image for a visual. Anyhoo, I was thinking that I don't really feel all that comfortable with my arms in the "ski pole" position. Plus, with the way the bars have to be positioned on the base bar, my front end was raised up a bit resulting in a somewhat less aerodynamic position.

So, I decided to replace the Carbon Strykes with some Profile Design T2+ "s-bend" areo bars. These are just like they sound . . . shaped kind of like a long, but flat "S." Next to this paragraph (left) is a manufacturer's picture of the T2+

I wasn't sure how the change would work for me. The "s-bends" have a reputation for being harder on the wrists than the ski-pole types, but they do seem to ride lower (providing a more aerodynamic position), and they provide better grip for bracing while pumping harder on the pedals. Plus, I think they look cooler! The only "down" side to getting them was that I was dumping my carbon bars for a set of aluminum bars, which are supposedly heavier. To the big time racers, that may be pretty important. For me, I just wanted something that looked right and worked right, so the weight issue meant nothing to me. I must say, too, that I'm pretty happy with the change over.

Here's the new set-up, complete with new wheel cover. Nice!

So, I picked up the bike at Jack and Adam's this afternoon at about 5:45 PM. The Texas Iron workout started at 6:00 PM and I had to fight rush hour traffic down to the Veloway, south of Brodie Lane (in WAY south Austin). I was late, but only by about 10 minutes. The group was out warming up, but I ran into our coaches, Andrea and Jamie as I was heading out to MoPac to find the group. They told me just to warm up about 20 minutes and be at the start line at 6:35. So, I rode South MoPac for a bit and rolled up to the group right on time.

The Time Trial.

The course was very simple. We started on the southbound side of MoPac just south of the intersection of LaCrosse Blvd. and MoPac. The route was a simple down and back on MoPac. That section of MoPac is fairly flat, with a couple of very moderate rises. Total distance, I'm told, is right about at 8 miles. Jamie and Andrea "seeded" the riders roughly according to their assessment of our abilities (based on their observations of us at previous bike workouts and any previous time trials we may have done). I believe I was sixth or seventh to last. Then, Jamie started the clock and they started us out on the course one at a time at 15-second intervals.

I had a long wait until my turn, but I must say that when I finally got to go, I rocked it!!! The new position felt awesome. Since it was my first ride on the new bars, it took a bit of time to get used to changing gears with my hands/wrists at a different angle, but I managed. So, anyway, I probably went out too hard because in the first 2-3 miles, I passed several people who started ahead of me. I never really got "blown-up" tired, but I was definitely working my legs pretty hard. All in all, I rode pretty well. Here are my final stats for the 8-mile ride:

Distance: 8 miles
Time: 18 min. 30 sec.
Avg. speed: 25.9 mph
Place: 2nd

I think if I'd had an 11-23 cassette on my wheel and a wheel cover, I could have gone considerably faster. An 11-23 cassette wouldn't be too expensive, so maybe I'll think about getting one for the flatter rides/time trials. The guy that had the fastest time rode it almost a minute faster than me at about 17:40. Of course, he was known to be a VERY strong cyclist, plus, he had his Cervelo set up for a race with the disk wheel. It was pretty sweet.

So, anyway, I was encouraged by the ride. I wasn't too trashed afterwards. It's funny, too, that the night before, I had talked with my friend Hao and he'd told me about a neat bike race he wanted us to do next April in West Texas near Fort Davis. Apparently, it's a 3-part stage race, including a 16-mile time trial. Sounds like it could be a LOT of fun!

More to come later!