Extreme Momentum

It would probably only be to Naperville by now. Here are some interesting comparisons:

10 miles of the original Transcontinental Railroad were built in ONE DAY
1 mile of the Lakefront Path here in Chicago has taken 6 MONTHS

I’m still researching figures, but I’d guess 1 mile of the Transcontinental Railroad cost less to build than 1 mile of the Lakefront Path in inflation adjusted figures.

I’m very excited to have the path improvements, but the time and expense it took seems a little extreme. Maybe the city should do a little research at the Stanford Library to learn tips about project management from 1867…

MATTS Harvard 30K TT
April 27, 2008 – Harvard, IL
Cat 4 – 4th
267 watts – 25.1 MPH

Well, that might have been the easy way out. However, after bailing on the Single Bong 20K due to weather, I didn’t want to wimp out again. That’s right. If I could swimming in sub-freezing temperatures, I sure could handle some cooler spring weather.

Leading up to the weekend, I was actually pretty excited for the MATTS Harvard 30K. It’s one of my favorite courses and I always seem to do pretty well there. My enthusiasm dropped a little each time I looked at the weather forecast and it hit rock bottom the minute I got to the race. I was already cold from drinking Gatorade that had been sitting in my trunk. Not a smart thing when you want to stay warm. I went through my normal pre-race routine, but I had a hard time getting warm and staying focused. Thankfully, the race was running behind so I was able to warm-up a few extra minutes. I actually missed my scheduled start due to some clock confusion, but I was able to sneak into an empty slot a few minutes later.

My plan for the 10-15 MPH WNW wind was to push it the first half of the race and see what I had left in the gas tank on the trip home. Compared to the previous week, my legs were feeling much better but not 100%. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same mental focus like I had at Sugar Grove. The first half of the race actually seemed to take longer than it normally does. This was probably due to fighting the wind and lack of mental focus. After looping back to head home, I felt much better with the tailwind. I finally got a little rhythm going, but started to mentally lose it the last 6 miles. I noticed myself drifting onto the shoulder a few times. It was kind of weird, since my legs felt pretty good. I dropped the hammer the last 1000 m and was really out of my element. I think I covered the last kilometer at about 31 MPH and was completely dead at the end mentally.

My effort was good enough for fourth place in Cat 4. Not bad considering I wasn’t into this race. My average speed and wattage were down from the previous week, but I wasn’t too disappointed. Many of the riders I talked too really struggled. Ironically, there were some riders who still had a great race. I’m learning how much of time trialing is really the mental challenge, not just the physical. Each race is a battle and some days you win and others you regroup to fight another day. And it’s only April, so there’s plenty of time left to hit the snooze.

BTW, anytime you get a chance to ride the Harvard TT course, do so. It’s got a nice starting area, corners are well-marked, and there’s always the lure of ice cream from Illinois’s dairy capitol [snickers from this Wisconsin native].

With temps in the 60s, I was giddy as a school boy to go riding after work.  It’s wonderful feeling when you don’t have to wear tights, long sleeves, heavy gloves, etc. I decided to make a 42 mile jaunt up to Highland Park at tempo.  Traffic was normal in the city, but I couldn’t believe how quiet the roads were north of Evanston.  Was everyone home watching American Idol?  I had a wonderful low-traffic ride until I got back to Evanston. I nearly got killed twice by Northwestern students who obviously don’t feel the effects of high gas prices when mommy and daddy are paying for school. I also think the city of Evanston is out to injure cyclists, plus I think they run a chain of shock and struts shops on the side.  I don’t understand why anyone would want to drive in the right lane unless they have an LR3. At least Wilmette is fixing their section of Sheridan: http://www.wilmette.com/sheridan. Thank you!