Can’t say I am too please with yesterday’s ride at Joe Martin’s time trial. I’m not all that bummed, but the result was so mediocre it irks me some. I have a few excuses, but in reality, if I would have ridden perfect, I wouldn’t have been all that pleased either.
The new time trial course is in Devil’s Den State Park still, 25 miles south of Fayetteville. But the course goes up a hill on the opposite side of the park that has been used historically. The hill isn’t much harder, it goes up about to about the same elevation. But it is steeper at the bottom, with lots of switchbacks, then gets faster at the top, like a 40+mph short descent.
I started nearly last in the 1/2’s race, which was at 4:30. I had went over early and had ridden the hill a couple times. It is a little less than 3 miles. I felt okay, but the pollen in the park was crazy. Like super thick. Descending down in the climb it was so bad that I could hardly blink.
I talked to a bunch of different guys about it. It seems about 50 % of the guys I talked to thought it was horrible, the others didn’t even notice it. Funny how that is.
I rode about 20 miles earlier, then another 10 before the time trial. Here is how bad I was. I warmed up on the old time trial course and averaged higher wattage warming up than during the race. Pretty bad power allocation, huh?
They say you are supposed to start easy finish hard. I started hard and finished…. slow. I caught my 30 second rider about 1/2 way up the hill and he went by me again about 500 meters to go. Pretty terrible. The last km was so bad, that if I had the 15 seconds I gave up I might have been somewhat pleased. I started my timer with my 30 second rider and coming up to the finish, forgot I should be subtracting 30 seconds, so was over 11 minutes, disgusted, so pretty much gave up. That was a huge error. I finished 40th out of a hundred and twenty guys, but in the Pro race it would have been in the 120’s out of 150. Ouch. Results are here.
So, I was a little rusty. The pollen turned out to hurt too. I did a couple nasal rinses and my throat still hurts this morning. It seems better in Fayeteville than Devil’s Den. I hope it isn’t an issue the next few days.
My new team-mate, Alex Hoehn, rode pretty great. He caught me, he started 30 seconds back, and finished 7th. He is young, I think he is just 18 or so, and the result was great. It will be fun watching him during the 110 mile road race this afternoon.
One odd thing I noticed, and need to ask someone about it. A bunch of the guys warming up for the Pro race, warm up in their street clothes. It seems like probably 25% of the guys riding up the climb were just wearing baggy shorts and t-shirts instead of cycling clothes. Same with the women. I have no idea what that is all about. It wasn’t that hot out. Maybe they were going to race in super tight, hot skinsuits or something, but you still would think that they would warm up in team kits. Pretty weird.
Last night we went over and had dinner with the Olathe Subaru guys. Most of them ride for TradeWind Energy for cyclo-x so we are all pretty much team mates. Benn and Garrick both had decent times up the hill, 10:26 ish, so they are looking good.
I’m riding better than the result, I think. Maybe not, but I think so. The next three days should be good. I wanted to race this event for training. Getting multiple race days in is important to get to a higher level of fitness. At least for me it is.
Waiting to start. Alex was wearing a time trial helmet. I didn’t notice that before the race.
Here’s Benn Stover with just his first plate of spaghetti. Man, I remember when I could eat like that.
The house the Olathe Subaru guys are renting is cool. Eclectic cool, but still cool. It must of been built in the 60’s and has all these weird rooms and spaces.
Tucker has been eating a ton, but is still super skinny.
I’m surprised you’re not out here doing Belgian Waffle on Sunday. Or is that part 2 of the master training plan?
Sorry to have to say this, but that was painful to read. I’d recommend finding a writing tutor and have them show you how to improve this. Show this to anyone that’s graduated high school and let them red pencil your errors if you can’t see the problems yourself on a proofread. I wonder what you’re trying to say with “it goes up about to about the same elevation” and “it a bunch of the guys warming up for the Pro race”. And if the hill “has been used historically”, then what are you comparing it to when you say “The hill isn’t much harder”? Things like “I had went over early” and ” It must of been built in the 60’s” are especially embarrassing. Plus the spelling errors that a spell checker could easily catch. I always get the gist of what your expressing and appreciate you sharing your life story on a regular basis, but I’d certainly not want children to read this and pick up the constant bad habits you have in your writing.
Hey Lionel … is your middle name Richard?
What’s really painful to read is your condescending comment, Lionel. If you don’t like Steve’s writing, why read it? I don’t come here for literary excellence. I come here for Steve’s race reports and his opinions on issues relating to bike racing. He’s a bike racer, not an editor. That’s exactly why I read his posts, complete with their typos, misspellings, and grammatical mistakes. Do us all a favor and head over to McSweeny’s.
Lionel-I agree completely. But I wrote this super fast. Tucker needed to go out to pee. But, I virtually never proof read, so it is what it is. Have to admit this one was poor in grammatical error regards.
Hahahahahahahahahaha. Dammit, Steve, a web log is the ULTIMATE venue for perfectly proofread prose! And if you ever text anyone, sweet Jesus I’d better not see “c u l8r” because that is INCORRECT GRAMMAR! Hahahahahahahhaaaaaaa, Lionel.
Lionel, if you can’t say anything nice then don’t say anything at all. Having said that, go eat a bag of dicks you pansy fuck.
Ummm, I don’t think children are reading bike racing blogs. LOL Good grief, I think you’re missing the point of why these racing posts are being made, forest for the trees as it were.
ppl’s comments are too funny! :p
Hey Lionel,
“I always get the gist of what >>your<< expressing and appreciate you sharing your life story on a regular basis, but I’d certainly not want children to read this and pick up the constant bad habits you have in your writing."
you're expressing <– this would have read less painfully for me.
p.s. Steve, please do not not post because you didn’t have time to proofread. YOU’RE one of my fav blogs. YOUR blog that is.
Lionel,
Many times it is obvious that Steve is writing a post on his phone or is rushed and simply doesn’t go back to edit his post. I appreciate that nearly every day I can come to this page and read a new blog post. I don’t get my panties in a wad if there is a word spelled incorrectly or if there are repeat words. If young children have free access to a computer, they likely aren’t looking up cycling blogs for their literary training. I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you aren’t happy with what you are reading, visit another site. Most of all, don’t continue to be a dick on this one….
Where’s Tucker?
You beat me to it. This is awesome! LOL!
Really Lionel? “I always get the gist of what your expressing…”
Lighten up. It’s a blog. The way Steve writes is part of his character.
Eat, shoot and leave, or eat shoots and leave. As long as you leave, Lionel, everyone wins.
Steve, don’t change an effing thing. Your a marvel.
Hi Steve –
Don’t you also do this from your iphone? I usually chalk it up to that and read on.
I’m with Lionel.
Funny, I obviously read for content and not grammar. Not one of of those “errors” even gave me pause in reading. I understood exactly what he was saying. Please keep writing Steve
You got chicked in the TT!
Had to call you out, as none of your sycophants would………..don”t get depressed, keep trying to hold off the juniors, masters, tourists and disabled.
I still haven’t been chicked since Longo circa ’89 when she beat me & the National PRO champ in a TT & weeks later, every road racer in Colorado, save Vaughters, in a 170km RR.
Rage against the dying of the light.
more respect towards you if you just say you rode the uphill tt as fast as you could.. you always give excuses when your results arnt great. face it, you are a great rr and crit racer and average at best in a tt..not everybodys great at everything.. i remember reading a few years ago how before maybe 10 of your road races you always put up a post the day before on how you’re so tired from laying on the ground working on a car, or putting in a garden or some jive ass bs. EVERY RACER that actually works 8-12 hour days i bet dosent make the excuses you do. they just go out and do the best they can.. excuses = no class..your blog is so predictable. if there is a race coming up, you are sore and tired from something, or you’re running late and in a rush,and if you do good, you let us know, and if you do bad, its let the excuses rain down..
And you continue to read it…
breathing help! http://adequateman.deadspin.com/put-steam-in-your-nose-1772913227
You really are in dire need of a swift kick in the nuts.
You total jackass, Crum. It’s called analyzing your performance after the fact and trying to determine what went wrong and what went right.