Me and Roadies

The same afternoon I laid a turd on the Shamrock and Roll course, I took my mountain bike out for a time trial.

This is sort of a bad race tradition for me, not necessarily the mountain bike, but the feeling is if I've got something left I'd best get rid of it.

So on the way back from Guilford, I saw a pair of roadies as I was leaving town. So I road down the slower of the two (I don't think they were riding together) and then closed on the second one.

I was really time-trialing- down in the aerobars, in my TT helmet. I passed the second guy, but as I was, well, on a mountain bike, I didn't exactly separate.

So he passed me back on a hill, and instead of just letting it go, he says to me 'You should get a time trial bike.'

I was not in the mood.

I snapped back 'This is a time trial bike. What does it look like I'm doing ?' Then I buried him...

It was silly, but it felt good....

2010 Time Trial #1

Did my first self-imposed time trial of the year.

6.66 miles.

On my mountain bike.

It felt good to get out there, and just hammer away for 20 minutes or so. It was a viscously windy day, so I was averaging 20+ when the wind was at my back and 16 into the wind. I'd forgotten how hard it is to ride the bike going all out for that long and on top of it, I think Margit may have moved my seat down, making the ride even more challenging.

I rode around the Hammerfest course and then over to Zanes, dropped my bike for a tune-up and ran easy back home (going the short way). It was a nice 45 minute add-on to my early morning run and I'm looking forward to doing it again after the bike is tuned-up.

After all, Brian's is a month away...

Time Trial

Well, the weather is sort of improving- why we are having some of our coldest nights of the year in the spring, when there's no snow on the ground is beyond me, but even the 20 degree nights aren't stopping the shoreline temperatures from flirting with 50 degrees late in the day.

I took advantage to get out on my bike at 6:30 tonight. Yes, 6:30. I don't know what sort of crazy sort of blood-pressure medicine the US Congress is on, starting Daylight Savings Time in the middle of March, but suddenly, I'm liking it. I was able to get in a 42 minute, 14.75 mile time trial ride on my Elite. Nothing to brag about- barely 21 MPH for a fairly flat course. But the last time I managed a time trial was back in late November after a long run.

I was overdressed, sucking wind the whole time, and wondering if my legs would hold up, but it was sure nice to pull the bike off the trainer and give it a real workout...