I have been saving myself most of the week in preparation for tomorrows racing. After Tuesdays crit I took Wednesday and Thursday off. Friday I threw the rake bars on in anticipation of using them for the TT tomorrow. The goal was to get used to how the bike handled when in the aero position. My imagination may be getting the best of me but I always feel very sluggish when climbing with my regular bars. With the rakes I hope to get some aero benefits but save a little weight when going up the hills. After a couple miles the twitchiness of the new position was mostly gone and I went to Suson and climbed out of the park a couple times to get at little hill work.
Today I skipped the Hillsboro-Roubaix race. My results have not been very good the past two years. Last year I wiped out in a turn and that was pretty much the end of the race despite a long chase. I pulled out after one lap for medical attention to the road rash. My lack of miles in recent weeks did not lend itself to doing a minimum of 66 miles if I did Masters or 88 for the 1/2/3's. I figured its best to take it easy. I drove to Eureka and did some recon on the TT course. I rode these roads once before but in the opposite direction. The distance listed on the race flyer is 6 miles so I assume its accurate.
Almost right from the start you go uphill. After a few hundred feet it levels off for a little bit and then kicks up again. This is a pretty long climb from the other direction its a mile long so I assume it is similar in this direction too. Halfway up I was harassed by two dogs. This climb hurt and I found myself in the 39x21 pretty quick and stayed there all the way up. Then it down the other side. This is fast and some care is needed in the gentle but blind turns. Once the road levels out you turn west and it was right into a strong wind today. After a good stretch of flat it was up again. Not as long but you are bit more tired after the first climb. Then down a little and up another little climb and down a fairly steep hill and a right hand turn at the bottom. Some care is needed and speed needs to be scubbed to make the turn safely. A nice "flat" section followed and I pushed the 53x12. Then near the end was a deceptively tough rise in the road. It looked small on approach but went longer than expected as the road bent around some trees. It had me keep shifting downward. I stayed in the big ring but worked up to the 21 in the rear. After the crest its a slight downhill to the finish.
This course HURT. TT's always do hurt but the hills just added more pain. I looked at my watch and had slightly over 22 minutes. That's a disheartening time for 6 miles but shows the difficulty of the course. Setting the proper temp up the climbs will be key. Cook it too hard early and you may not have anything to give in the end. Anyone who has not pre-ridden this course will have a rude awakening and risks having a poor time.
Til tomorrow....
Today I skipped the Hillsboro-Roubaix race. My results have not been very good the past two years. Last year I wiped out in a turn and that was pretty much the end of the race despite a long chase. I pulled out after one lap for medical attention to the road rash. My lack of miles in recent weeks did not lend itself to doing a minimum of 66 miles if I did Masters or 88 for the 1/2/3's. I figured its best to take it easy. I drove to Eureka and did some recon on the TT course. I rode these roads once before but in the opposite direction. The distance listed on the race flyer is 6 miles so I assume its accurate.
Almost right from the start you go uphill. After a few hundred feet it levels off for a little bit and then kicks up again. This is a pretty long climb from the other direction its a mile long so I assume it is similar in this direction too. Halfway up I was harassed by two dogs. This climb hurt and I found myself in the 39x21 pretty quick and stayed there all the way up. Then it down the other side. This is fast and some care is needed in the gentle but blind turns. Once the road levels out you turn west and it was right into a strong wind today. After a good stretch of flat it was up again. Not as long but you are bit more tired after the first climb. Then down a little and up another little climb and down a fairly steep hill and a right hand turn at the bottom. Some care is needed and speed needs to be scubbed to make the turn safely. A nice "flat" section followed and I pushed the 53x12. Then near the end was a deceptively tough rise in the road. It looked small on approach but went longer than expected as the road bent around some trees. It had me keep shifting downward. I stayed in the big ring but worked up to the 21 in the rear. After the crest its a slight downhill to the finish.
This course HURT. TT's always do hurt but the hills just added more pain. I looked at my watch and had slightly over 22 minutes. That's a disheartening time for 6 miles but shows the difficulty of the course. Setting the proper temp up the climbs will be key. Cook it too hard early and you may not have anything to give in the end. Anyone who has not pre-ridden this course will have a rude awakening and risks having a poor time.
Til tomorrow....
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