2009 State TT Championship - Dealing with disappointment

When I reconned the course for this year's time trial championship a few weeks ago, I realized it was going to be a challenge and that conditions would play a big part. As I arrived at the race site this past sunday, a stiff wind was blowing and it was clearly going to be a big headwind for the return leg of the race. The course also featured a sizable hill to climb over within a mile or so of the turnaround point. This was going to be a day where correct pacing would be critical. I felt good warming up and although I didn't expect to set the world on fire, I felt I was ready and capable of doing a good ride and turning in a solid time.

I rolled off the start line quickly and settled in to a slightly reserved pace. The small roller a half mile into the race passed easily and with a strong tailwind, I was flying right along. Knowing I had a big hill to get over twice and a strong headwind to battle on the return trip, I tried to hold back just a bit on the way out and not give into the temptation to ride like a wind-aided hero only to half nothing left for the second half. At mile 10, the kilometer long climb began, and I got up it fairly quickly and down the other side without being blown off the road at 45mph in the buffeting winds. The climb broke my rhythm a bit, but I found it again just before the turnaround.

The turnaround was uneventful. Usually, I wouldn't even mention the turn, but this course was on a highway that had "rumble strips" on the centerline. I hadn't even thought about them until the manmade potholes appeared before me as I rounded the cone. The wind was immediately apparent as I headed back towards the hill. The return side of the hill was a little steeper and featured the headwind as well. I struggled a little on it and probably lost a fair amount of time. Over the hill and down the other side, all that was left was to fight as hard as possible into the wind back to the finish. I struggled at times to keep my speed above 20mph and dropped as low as 17mph at times. I got back to the finish with a time on my stopwatch of about 1:02. I knew it wasn't a great time, but given the conditions, I thought it might place me mid-field or so.

I went and cooled down and then back to the car to change clothes and have a snack. An hour had passed since I crossed the finish so I headed over to check out the results. To my shock, I was listed in last place with a time of over 1:24, worse yet the results had been posted a half hour earlier, so by rule, it was too late to protest them. I asked a volunteer if the officials were still around, but was informed that they had left. My correct time was only going to move me up a couple places, it really was a poor ride, but I at least wanted to know what my actual time was. I sent an e-mail to the results company when I got home pointing out the error and they were able to get my correct time to me the next day, 1:02:12. It was only good enough for 15th out of 18 riders in the masters C field.

After getting home that evening, showering, and eating some dinner, it struck me that I really didn't feel all that tired. I definitely did not "leave it all on the course". For whatever reason, I had a bad day and couldn't or didn't push myself hard enough. This event had been a main priority for my season so I am pretty bummed, but life goes on. My next race is the state masters omnium championships in Bellingham next weekend. At the very least, I'll try to get back on track in the TT.

2009 State Time Trial Championship course preview

A few days ago I put the bike on the car and headed down to Ellensburg to check out the course for the Washington State Time Trial Championships, which will be held July 12th on a course that winds through the Yakima River Canyon. Since the race announcement describes the course as mostly flat with one short climb in both directions, I thought it would be useful to ride those climbs for myself on my TT bike so that I would know what I'd be in for on race day.

I found my way to the start area and parked at Helen McCabe State Park at the mouth of the canyon. The "park" consists of some undeveloped land owned by the state and a large pond which is a local fishing hole. Having gone to school in Ellensburg for a couple of years, I was not surprised to have very windy conditions for my reconnaissance ride. I changed into my riding clothes, got the bike off the car, and headed out on the course. The course is on a fairly busy, two-lane highway through the Yakima River Canyon. On the weekday afternoon I rode, there was a fair amount of traffic and I can't imagine it will be any quieter on race weekend since the canyon is a very popular recreation area.

The course has a small roller within the first (and last) half mile or so and then flattens out. The pavement is so-so for the first few miles. The roadway was originally sectioned concrete and has been paved and chipsealed over throughout its history. This has left the surface uneven and cracked in spots and there are occasional small potholes as well. It's not really bad, but it will require attention on the part of the rider, especially on the return trip when fatigue is at its greatest. The next several miles are flat with better pavement and unremarkable.....until the climb at mile ten.

The "short climb" is about a kilometer long and on the outbound leg appears to be about 4% or 5%, it is immediately followed by a descent of about the same length. The return leg side of climb is slightly steeper, maybe 6% or so. Both descents are straight forward without any turns to worry about. Since the climb is about two miles from the turnaround, there is effectively about four miles between the two significant sections of climbing in the ride. This should provide some chance to recover.

The wind will likely be the biggest factor on this course. The canyon twists around quite a bit so the wind direction the rider feels will change a lot. In addition, the wind swirls a lot in the canyon. Some places are quite sheltered and others are pretty exposed to the wind. If it is very windy, light riders and those who don't like gusty crosswinds may want to consider their wheel choices carefully.

After previewing the course, I got back to the car and noticed that the parking lot was empty. I started to put my stuff in the trunk and noticed a mosquito on my arm and dispatched him with a swat. She was not alone. I was immediately swarmed by mosquitoes and frantically threw my bike on the car and got out of there as quickly as possible. It appeared there had been a large hatch of mosquitoes at the pond while I was on my ride. I must have had fifteen or twenty bites on each leg in the few minutes it took to get the bike loaded up. I don't envy the race officials who will have to hang out in this area if there is another hatch on race day.

Overall, it will be a challenging course. Personally, I'd prefer it without the hills, but that's just me whining. In a couple weeks we'll see how it rides at race pace.