The UCLA Time Trial
We had perfect conditions for the Time Trial on Saturday. Driving out to Lancaster, CA only took about 1.5 hrs. Middle of the desert, blue sky, no winds, straight roads, and fast bikes made for a fun day. We got all suited up in our equipment, put in a solid warm up, and got to the start line barely in time. I started 1 minute ahead of Sam for about a 30 minute effort.
Holy cow, I forgot how much these things hurt. You quickly sprint to get up to speed, then you get into your tuck position and find a rhythm at which you're breathing hard (but not too hard) and your legs are burning (but not too much). Needless to say, to do this well take lots of strength and lots of practice.
So I was running scared the entire race hoping Sam wouldn't pass me and demolish me, since this thing is kinda his specialty. I went out too hard, tried my best not to slow down for second half, and put in a pretty good effort the last 5 minutes or so (with my left calf just on the verge of cramping). It's funny how you can feel your body say, "Hey, you! Ya you! Stop going so fast! I swear I'm gonna cramp on you! Don't make me do it..." And you're concentrating super hard on your flow and your rhythm for as much of the race as you can; only when you lose concentration do you realize how fast you're going: 26-30 mph! It feels pretty good to fly by the other racers at 10 mph, since I remember when I was one of those getting passed.
I finished ahead of Sam (barely) and felt like I had put in a solid effort. But when the times came out, it became clear Sam's time was smoking fast! 3rd place!! And a 9th for me! I'm quite happy with that. With Erika getting 7th or so in the A's and Caitlin getting 1st in the B's, we had a great team showing.
We're staying in Motel 6 tonight so that we can get some good rest and recovery for tomorrow's brutal road race (and to avoid sleeping on campus where there will be three kegs within 60 feet of my dorm room). All in good time...
Holy cow, I forgot how much these things hurt. You quickly sprint to get up to speed, then you get into your tuck position and find a rhythm at which you're breathing hard (but not too hard) and your legs are burning (but not too much). Needless to say, to do this well take lots of strength and lots of practice.
So I was running scared the entire race hoping Sam wouldn't pass me and demolish me, since this thing is kinda his specialty. I went out too hard, tried my best not to slow down for second half, and put in a pretty good effort the last 5 minutes or so (with my left calf just on the verge of cramping). It's funny how you can feel your body say, "Hey, you! Ya you! Stop going so fast! I swear I'm gonna cramp on you! Don't make me do it..." And you're concentrating super hard on your flow and your rhythm for as much of the race as you can; only when you lose concentration do you realize how fast you're going: 26-30 mph! It feels pretty good to fly by the other racers at 10 mph, since I remember when I was one of those getting passed.
I finished ahead of Sam (barely) and felt like I had put in a solid effort. But when the times came out, it became clear Sam's time was smoking fast! 3rd place!! And a 9th for me! I'm quite happy with that. With Erika getting 7th or so in the A's and Caitlin getting 1st in the B's, we had a great team showing.
We're staying in Motel 6 tonight so that we can get some good rest and recovery for tomorrow's brutal road race (and to avoid sleeping on campus where there will be three kegs within 60 feet of my dorm room). All in good time...
posted by Unknown at 8:16 AM
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