Extreme Momentum

ABD Indoor TT#2
February 21, 2010 – Winfield, IL
Masters 30+ – 4th – 15:35.47
300 watts – 23.9 MPH

As you can imagine, there’s not much to report from an indoor race in which you don’t go anywhere and lasts under 16 min. This time we at least had a rolling 10K course, which helped make things more interesting. Plus, I biked only in my bibs which made the heat more bearable. I got a chance to race my teammate, Mike Seguin, who was doing his first Computrainer race. Plus, we were up against Mark Schwartzendruber, so we knew we had no chance of winning. I was happy with my time, as it was a new PR for me on this hilly Computrainer course. I decided to only do one race this time. After doing an outdoor TT a few weeks ago, this indoor stuff is hard.

While I was home sick from work yesterday, I was feeling useless and thinking of something that I could do without much effort. On my last trip to San Diego, I got worried about the cheap plastic dropout savers we normally use when shipping bikes. These are usually free from the LBS and are better than nothing, but I’d rather have something more stout. I have “faith” in baggage handlers and shipping services, yet…well, you know.

I did some digging on the internet and saw some folks had made dropout savers out of wood. These are definitely stronger than plastic, but I was wondering if there was something easier to make. That’s when I started thinking about my portable cyclocross barriers that I made out of PVC pipe. I took a few measurements on my bike and went shopping the next day at Home Depot when I was feeling better.

Here’s what I used to make the dropout savers:

2 – 3/8″ x 6″ bolts w/nuts

1 – 1/2″ x 100 mm PVC pipe

1 – 1/2″ x 130 mm PVC pipe

I cut the PVC pipe with a hacksaw and one of the bolts with a Dremel to match the size of the dropouts. If you have MTB, you’ll likely need an 8″ bolt and cut it down. These fit perfectly and could easily be installed with 9/16″ wrench and/or pliers. I’ll try these on my next trip and let you know how they work.

Fiesta Island TT Series #1
February 7, 2010 – San Diego, CA
Masters 30-39 – 10th – 32:18
285 watts – 23.1 MPH

Time trials for us Chicagoans in February usually mean riding a Computrainer like a hamster in the Winfield Middle School. While it may not be “fun”, it helps break up the winter training doldrums. Those folks who are lucky enough to live in “warm” climates like SoCal, Arizona, etc. actually have a winter racing season. Well, I didn’t want to miss out on their fun, so I took the opportunity to get in an early season OUTDOOR TT in San Diego today.

The main TT course in San Diego is Fiesta Island. It’s a completely flat “sand dune” next to Seaworld. The San Diego Bicycle Club (SDBC) sponsors a season long TT series on the island that runs from February to October. It’s a 4 mile loop with sweeping turns and nary a hill. Three loops for 20K. The course is completely closed to traffic. The only downside is that races are EARLY. Riders need to register between 6 AM or 6:45 AM or they forgo their time slot.

I got there at 6:15 AM and it was still dark. The parking lot was full and I was cursing that I didn’t have a flashlight. This was apparent when I showed up to the registration table with my license and race flyer rather than my signed waiver (which was still in my trunk). Plus, I got tons of odd looks because I was wearing shorts and it was “only” in the mid 50s. Oh, well. I had plenty of time to warm-up and was happy to have brought my Knog Frogs since the sun was just creeping up. I prerode the course and soon had a bike covered with sand ( from the 2″ of rain the day before). I also ended up getting a flat tire on my way back to the car with about 10 minutes before my start. Thankfully, I brought a spare tube.

I had decided to race “Eddy Merckx” style (aka, non aero) since shipping my TT bike was pretty expensive for just one race. I was actually happy I did this, since I had never raced a TT like that before and it was early season so my expectations wouldn’t be skewed. Most of the other riders are TT rigs, so I was expecting to get passed but passing anyone else would get me motivated.

There was a pretty strong headwind on the first part of the course, but made for a fun tailwind on the home stretch. I was amazed at how quick this course went. I’m not sure if it was the short laps or curving nature of the course. Not the usually cornfield bores we have in the Midwest. I paced myself fairly well throughout the race and felt much better than my legs were feeling. Biking 65 miles the day before didn’t help, but I was targeting this primarily as a workout anyway.

I ended up finishing in 32:18 for 10th in the Masters 30-39 for an average speed of 23.1 MPH. For this time of year and my “old school” setup, I was very happy with my result. My power was about where I was at the peak of 2009. Another cool part of this race was not being the only XXXer! Greta Neimanas had been in the area training and posted the 2nd fastest women’s time. Wow…1800 miles from Chicago and we had more XXXers in a TT than we normally do within 50 miles of Chicago (HINT, HINT to the rest of the team).

I’m planning on coming back to San Diego in March for some more “spring training” and hope to get another TT in if I can. For anyone visiting the San Diego area, be sure to check out the Fiesta Island TT series. The SDBC puts on a first class operation. And, it’s a guaranteed Fiesta!

I almost forgot to mention that this is an ABR race! Not only do they sanction the MATTS series in the Chicago area, but also the Fiesta Island TT series.

The Fiesta Island Time Trial course (20K, 3 laps).

Photo by Dave Strom.

Photo by Dave Strom.

Photo by Rose Nguyen.

Photo by Rose Nguyen.