Beat the Clock Time Trial #4, Canada Road, Woodside, CA
Time: 31:46
This was my third "attempt" on this hilly ten mile time trial. The race itself is billed as a "training race", and is not USAC sanctioned. No matter, it gets a good turnout and is quite popular. With reason! It's short course, but it's a tough one! I've described the course before. In a nutshell, it's downhill out (300 foot elevation change), with a decent sized "hill" in the middle, and then uphill back. Today, there was a 4-5 MPH wind blowing down the hill. Tailwind out, headwind in. At the start, the temperature was 64 degrees, sunny. The air felt a little heavy, but not too bad.
I like to get to races early, because I don't want to be rushed. I checked in, got my number, did a better pinning job than I usually do, got prepped, and put the bike on the trainer. At the allotted time, I warmed up to protocol. I felt okay on the warmup, although the first stepped up effort concerned me, because I built lactic quickly. The next step ups were better, though.
After getting the bike off the trainer, getting my helmet on and adjusted, I did a quick loop on the road, and then arrived at the start house with three minutes left before my start. I did a held start, and got a good launch when I rolled off. Just before getting up to speed, my left foot popped out of the pedal and I just missed getting smacked in the shin with that pedal. I got clipped back in, settled my nerves and worked into concentrating on my plan.
That plan was to stay on target with the power. To not let the power sag over the top of climbs. To not soft pedal onto the bottom of a climb. Those traits were time sinks, and I'd been guilty of them in the past and I'd determined, with Coach's help, that I needed to fix them. Today, the concentration on those faults worked, and I kept a steady output up and over the rollers and hills.
My one minute back passed me just prior to the turnaround. I had expected her to catch me after the turnaround, but I didn't let that concern me. I arrived at and made the turnaround right at 13 minutes, faster than I expected. I had a momentary thought that I'd gone too hard outbound, but decided that I'd been steadier and that was likely the difference. I did a good turn, came off the saddle and punched it hard to get back up to speed. There is a long false flat after the turnaround, which plays to me. I settle into a good rhythm on false flats when things are working right and just be steady as she goes. Today, things were working well. Next was the backside of the "middle hill", not as long or as steep as it is outbound, but that's deceiving, because you're already climbing when you roll onto that hill. I ramped the power to my upper target and stayed there. I got over the top, and shifted up, staying in it, wanting to take advantage of the slight descent to recover a little, but to also make up time.
By this point my brain was pretty well fogged up from the Pain Cave and oxygen deprivation. I was aware of a tingling in my right foot and lower leg, which was an indication to me that I was going hard. Good! I got to the steep kicker on the course, and rather than trying to big ring it and stay aero as I had the last time I rode it, I went to the small ring and came off the sticks. I never did come off the saddle, just powered my way up that painful thing seated and on the horns. I got back up to some semblance of speed over the top of that kicker and started up another false flat. By now, I was noticing my legs through the fog, and they were getting pretty heavy. I told myself to push through. I passed under the 280 Freeway, and I knew then I had a little over 1K to go. Time to ramp. I pushed as hard as I could against those heavy legs, and they slowly responded.
I got to the line going as hard as I could, uphill, and and gave it one last shove as I went over the stripe.
31:46. I wanted below 31, but I'll take this time. I'm getting better, I'm more technically adept, and that's going to help me a great deal as the season progresses.