Launching My Season at the Frostbite TT

Last Sunday, I launched my 2010 racing season with a ride in the Frostbite Time Trial in Everett.  Since it was only the end of February and I had only decided to do the race about a month before, I wasn't too sure what to expect.  With 64 riders in the cat 4/5 field, I certainly had lots of company to compare to.

The course is a fast, dead flat nine mile trip on good pavement east of Everett.  The weather was about as good as you could hope for in late February with sun, little wind, and temperatures pushing 50 at race time.  I started well and quickly found my rhythm in the familiar sensations of a maximum effort against the clock.

At this race, instead of start times grouped by category, the entire start list was randomized so you had no idea what level of riders were just ahead or behind you.  In a lot of ways, it eliminated the distraction that other riders can cause to my focus as if you caught someone you had no idea if it was to be expected or not and the same was true if you got caught.  As it turned out, I only passed one rider, just after the turnaround, and was passed by one rider just before the finish.

The race passed rather uneventfully for me.  I was able to ride full throttle the whole way without any fading in my effort towards the end which was encouraging for so early in the season.  My time of 22:01 was nothing stellar, but I felt it was a solid time for where I usually expect to be at the beginning of my season (usually April!).  It was good enough for 24th in the cat 4/5 field.  As a bonus to my day,  I won a professional bike fit from Herriot Sports Performance in the post race raffle.  All in all, a very successful launch to my 2010 racing season!

On the road for another season

Here in the Methow this winter, we've been blessed (or cursed if you're part of the skiing community) with a light winter and road conditions conducive to bike riding.  This has enabled me to get back on the bike outdoors about a month earlier than I have the previous two years.  This January start to my outdoor training has mercifully spared me riding on the trainer except for a couple occasions and has me eagerly looking forward to the beginning of the racing season.  In fact, given the work I've been able to accomplish already, I've decided to launch my season at the Frostbite Time Trial in Everett at the end of February.  Last year I rode an MTB race at the end of February, but that was more of a lark with no real expectation of any results.  While I am tempering my hopes for my season debut due to the early date, I am quite confident that I will be able to put in a good ride and expect a solid result out of myself.  We'll see how it goes in a week and half.

Regardless of the result in Everett, the following weekend I'll be back competing as part of a team at the MVSTA's winter triathlon.  Last year the team I was part of won the team classification (due to our outstanding skier).  This year it is a new course and I will have different teammates, so we'll see how it goes.  Again, I'm confident I'll be riding a little stronger which should help.  At any rate, the event is a lot of fun and will be a great way to continue to get back into the swing of another racing season.