Suprise TT today! (and I made a team!)
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Nonsense
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Suprise TT today! (and I made a team!)
Well, I showed up at my lbs today still recovering from my metric two days ago, feeling ready for another group ride. The owner and all the fast guys come up to me and tell me they're doing a TT and I'm welcome to join them, or I can go out with the B group. I chose the TT
I was up against two Cat 3's, the lbs owner (not sure what cat), a former cat2 and a decently fast rec. rider. The course was a 12mile out and back, the first 6 miles slightly (and not so slightly in some spots) uphill and the last 6 down it.
The TT started out really crappy for me. I couldn't clip in fast enough, my shorts snagged on my seat, and a friend in his car pulled up next to me to talk to me. So to make up for lost time, I started sprinting to get up to speed, which in hindsight wasn't really too good of an idea. The first mile of the course is a false flat that is going slightly uphill, but I was so obsessed with making up for lost time that I was going 22.5-24 through it. Great idea , by the time I reached 1.5miles I was feeling pukey. I was going to take a sip of gatorade, but I went over some bumps and it fell off my bike. And then, right after that, I threw up into my mouth
So I continued on, and was passed by the last two guys behind me over the next 4 miles. There were a couple of decent hills on the way out, one a 9-10% grade maybe 50-100ft that I did at 14.5, and the next I sprinted over at 20. At this point though, my legs were so shot from the uphill, I was going 18-19 on flat ground to get to the turnaround point. When I got there though, I took off.
The second guy out was in sight of me, and I wanted to catch him. I did, about a mile from the turnaround , I was going 22-24 at this point up a very slight incline that lead up to the two hill descents. When I reached the top, I looked down and started pedaling like a mad man. I was going 32ish through this part, and I was able to hold my speed at 27-29 for the next 3 miles afterwards! I got to the first false flat, which has a slight incline leading to it from the turnaround point and was avging 25ish on top of it. At this point I was really physically drained. Everytime I breathed I was moaning, and my legs felt like they were on fire.
I knew the finish line was coming up, so I turned up the speed and started going 30ish down a miniscule incline. When the finish line was in sight, I stood up and sprinted, hitting mid 36mph when I crossed the line. I collapsed onto my handlebars, and let the bike coast a bit until I could catch my breath (and my legs) and turn around.
Then I rode back to get my water bottle hey, I was thirsty!
The guy in front of me beat my time by 4 seconds !!! That woulda been mine if it wasn't for the rough start.
I got 31:45 for the 12mi TT, @22.68mph. The cat3 guys came in at around 28:00@25.71mph , and 28:45 @25.04mph. The 28minute guy was in a one piece suit with booties over his shoes, using a dedicated TT bike with the works done to it (even duct tape over the valves on his CF tires). The other Cat3 guy had aero bars, and the guy that beat me by 4 seconds was just lucky
Does anyone know how my time would compare to avg. Cat5 TT's on a rolling course?
Afterwards, I was sitting around with the guys, and the LBS owner who I know had been interested in me asked me if I was going to start racing with them. He said if I can start entering Cat races that he'd give me a jersey and I'd be on the team! WOO!
What a day! A hell of a TT and I made a cycling team!
I was up against two Cat 3's, the lbs owner (not sure what cat), a former cat2 and a decently fast rec. rider. The course was a 12mile out and back, the first 6 miles slightly (and not so slightly in some spots) uphill and the last 6 down it.
The TT started out really crappy for me. I couldn't clip in fast enough, my shorts snagged on my seat, and a friend in his car pulled up next to me to talk to me. So to make up for lost time, I started sprinting to get up to speed, which in hindsight wasn't really too good of an idea. The first mile of the course is a false flat that is going slightly uphill, but I was so obsessed with making up for lost time that I was going 22.5-24 through it. Great idea , by the time I reached 1.5miles I was feeling pukey. I was going to take a sip of gatorade, but I went over some bumps and it fell off my bike. And then, right after that, I threw up into my mouth
So I continued on, and was passed by the last two guys behind me over the next 4 miles. There were a couple of decent hills on the way out, one a 9-10% grade maybe 50-100ft that I did at 14.5, and the next I sprinted over at 20. At this point though, my legs were so shot from the uphill, I was going 18-19 on flat ground to get to the turnaround point. When I got there though, I took off.
The second guy out was in sight of me, and I wanted to catch him. I did, about a mile from the turnaround , I was going 22-24 at this point up a very slight incline that lead up to the two hill descents. When I reached the top, I looked down and started pedaling like a mad man. I was going 32ish through this part, and I was able to hold my speed at 27-29 for the next 3 miles afterwards! I got to the first false flat, which has a slight incline leading to it from the turnaround point and was avging 25ish on top of it. At this point I was really physically drained. Everytime I breathed I was moaning, and my legs felt like they were on fire.
I knew the finish line was coming up, so I turned up the speed and started going 30ish down a miniscule incline. When the finish line was in sight, I stood up and sprinted, hitting mid 36mph when I crossed the line. I collapsed onto my handlebars, and let the bike coast a bit until I could catch my breath (and my legs) and turn around.
Then I rode back to get my water bottle hey, I was thirsty!
The guy in front of me beat my time by 4 seconds !!! That woulda been mine if it wasn't for the rough start.
I got 31:45 for the 12mi TT, @22.68mph. The cat3 guys came in at around 28:00@25.71mph , and 28:45 @25.04mph. The 28minute guy was in a one piece suit with booties over his shoes, using a dedicated TT bike with the works done to it (even duct tape over the valves on his CF tires). The other Cat3 guy had aero bars, and the guy that beat me by 4 seconds was just lucky
Does anyone know how my time would compare to avg. Cat5 TT's on a rolling course?
Afterwards, I was sitting around with the guys, and the LBS owner who I know had been interested in me asked me if I was going to start racing with them. He said if I can start entering Cat races that he'd give me a jersey and I'd be on the team! WOO!
What a day! A hell of a TT and I made a cycling team!
#2
Lanterne Rouge
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Congrats man...!
That's a wild ride... and a wicked outcome too....
I wish I would have a day like that... [get drafted by a LBS]
That's a wild ride... and a wicked outcome too....
I wish I would have a day like that... [get drafted by a LBS]
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Im a cat 5/ junior and i ride about a 32 minute 20 k however i do break a 30 on a regular basis depends on the day... im 120 lbs and a climber... take it as it is...
#4
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32 minutes for a 19k itt is not too shaby. Our normal cat 4/5 itts over very simular terrien is about 42 minutes for a 14.5 mile 24k itt. The course sounds like the following.
Slight mild climbing for the first 6 miles, a 100 foot sprinter 10% bump (saying that judging by your speed, 14.5 MPH), a little more climbing, hitting the turn around at about 19 MPH says that you were climbing mildly for a while. After the turnaround you start going downhill slightly, a false flat lets you obtain about 24 - 25 MPH easier than the other way. Your momentum on the bumps lets you hit 30 MPH or so and hold it, for 3 miles definitly sounds like a slight downhill. At the end it must been either slightly climbing or flat, 36 MPH sprint is very good.
It sounds like you had a very good experience on your itt. Don't hang your head on things like getting beat by some cat 3 guys, we will both be there some day. This course though very much favors tt equipment.
Congradulations, I wish that I could hold that kind of speed, 32 MPH for 3 miles is very impressive. Congradulations for getting on a team, you earned it...
And for the TT over the group ride... good choice. Now would you take a crit or a tt?
Slight mild climbing for the first 6 miles, a 100 foot sprinter 10% bump (saying that judging by your speed, 14.5 MPH), a little more climbing, hitting the turn around at about 19 MPH says that you were climbing mildly for a while. After the turnaround you start going downhill slightly, a false flat lets you obtain about 24 - 25 MPH easier than the other way. Your momentum on the bumps lets you hit 30 MPH or so and hold it, for 3 miles definitly sounds like a slight downhill. At the end it must been either slightly climbing or flat, 36 MPH sprint is very good.
It sounds like you had a very good experience on your itt. Don't hang your head on things like getting beat by some cat 3 guys, we will both be there some day. This course though very much favors tt equipment.
Congradulations, I wish that I could hold that kind of speed, 32 MPH for 3 miles is very impressive. Congradulations for getting on a team, you earned it...
And for the TT over the group ride... good choice. Now would you take a crit or a tt?
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Just your average club rider... :)
Just your average club rider... :)
Last edited by my58vw; 06-10-05 at 01:41 AM.
#5
Nonsense
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Originally Posted by breezy6268niou1
Im a cat 5/ junior and i ride about a 32 minute 20 k however i do break a 30 on a regular basis depends on the day... im 120 lbs and a climber... take it as it is...
Originally Posted by my58vw
It sounds like you had a very good experience on your itt. Don't hang your head on things like getting beat by some cat 3 guys, we will both be there some day. This course though very much favors tt equipment.
Congradulations, I wish that I could hold that kind of speed, 32 MPH for 3 miles is very impressive. Congradulations for getting on a team, you earned it...
And for the TT over the group ride... good choice. Now would you take a crit or a tt?
Congradulations, I wish that I could hold that kind of speed, 32 MPH for 3 miles is very impressive. Congradulations for getting on a team, you earned it...
And for the TT over the group ride... good choice. Now would you take a crit or a tt?
And I wish I could hold 32mph for 3 miles too! It was more around 27-29, with slight bits below and slight bits above that frame of reference. The grade was maybe -.5% at most, flat enough to look flat, which was an ego buster to go up ("only 21 on flat land? wtf?!")and was an absolute blast to fly down. Much respect to the pros that avg 30 over an entire TT. Legs willing, I'll beat them someday!
And TT or crit? I think at this point I'd go with the crit, simply because I haven't had the oppertunity to be in one yet.
Thanks to you too simplyred for actually reading that rant of mine and responding! Imagine how long my post would have been if I won?