Bridget has always been a big fan of the Harbin Park MTB TTs so I thought it would make a great series for me to improve my MTB skills. And girls like guys with skills...
Week 2/Race #35–The Vomit Comet
I met Nate up at BioWheels but all these customers came in and we left the store really late. We thought, f' it, we'll just show up and ride the trails. But we get there, see all the people starting there TTs and they were nice enough to let us race. But no warm up. I got cyclocross puketastic on the first lap, redlining Mount Mutha. I think I got 24'sumthin" on the first lap. Here and there it was tough to carry speed because some corners were a bit slick because it rained a few days before. I blew up and lost all my piss and vinegar. I focused on being efficient but added a couple of minutes to my second lap. Every second does count! There were four riders within 30 seconds of me, mostly in front of me. I ended up being 6th place with 50:32, my splits were 24:31 on the first lap and 26:01 on the second.
Week 5/Race #37 — Rookie in the Corners
Man, I cam out of the gate riding like a total loser. I was extremely inefficient in the corners. I swear I could hear my 30 second man breathing down my neck. Tthey are so many power sections before Mount Muther F*ck*r that I have to ease off so I don't blow up. And I did blow, I think I looked at a rock funny while climbing that wall and I came off my bike! But I ran up CX style and got back on and did my first lap in 23:57. I think I opened up some air behind me. After I blow I work on being more efficient in the turns and keeping my wits about me. And it worked, I turned in a 23:53 second lap for a 47:50 total. There were four riders within 10 seconds of each other, and you wonder if I could have been faster without that bobble. I only averaged about 10 miles per hour...
Week 6/Race #39 — Dialed In!
I was psyched about my last lap at the John Byran race and I really tried to bring a more aggressive leaning into corner constantly pedaling riding style to this last TT. My pre-ride was miserable, but I used Nate's pump and I think my tires were low — making my riding sluggish and bogged down. I went out hard again, constantly on the verge of blowing up. After Mount Mother the rest of each lap is usually pretty miserable! I ended up catching one rider who also rode John Bryan, and then a second on the climb at the end of the lap. I think having that rider there was a big carrot to push me to go faster and I turned in a 23:10 lap! I wanted to power away so I didn't chill and didn't drink, and I think I paid later. All the power sections before Mt Mutha blew me up a bit, and I bobbled and had to run the hill while my left leg cramped. Ugh. But I recovered and caught a third rider! That second lap was a decent 23:49 for a total time of 46:59, nipping under the 47" mark. I might have been second fastest on the night averaging about 10.7 miles per hour.
I was really happy to be improving and love having this TT as a nice tool to gauge fitness and skill. Between my three times I averaged 48:26 per lap at about 10.4 miles per hour. Hopefully I can go faster next year!
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