The West River Time Trial has been a regular event for me for years. It's an 8.35 mile, out-and-back time trial on flat roads (that are closed to car traffic) with a couple short rises that are little more than speed bumps.
For many people, 20:00 is a goal time. It's a nice round number that is just a hair faster than 25 mph, so it requires a fair bit if fitness but you don't need to be a professional cyclist to do it (those guys are going it in 17:00 or less (30 mph)).
The last time I was under 20:00 was 2006, when I did it in 19:42 (25.4 mph). I really want to get back to that kind of speed and maybe even better this year.
I've been training like a mad man focusing on time trial efforts specifically. I moved my handlebars a tiny bit lower, which made me much more comfortable and (apparently) more efficient as well.
After last week's longer time trial, I had a better idea of what numbers to aim for today. Time trial strategy is normally to hold back a little in the first half and then go harder the second half (and even harder yet in the last quarter).
It was kind of a gray, windy morning with the winds blowing strongly from behind for the first mile on the way out and then from various directions once the road starts to bend around. Unfortunately that also meant that for the last mile coming back, the wind would be completely against us.
Days like today are when the power meter really helps me to stay on target. With the tail wind, I was holding about 26 to 27 mph the first couple miles. Psychologically that feels way too fast when I'm aiming for an average of 25 mph. The number I was really aiming for was a power average of 245 to 250 on the way out. At that power and with that tail wind, I was just at the right speed.
The way back was the same. I knew that I wanted to average 260 to 270 on the way back. With the variable direction winds for the first three miles, that meant my speed was all over the place, but I knew I was holding the right power output.
The last mile was every bit as brutal as I expected. My speed was down to 22 mph and I was going as hard as I could. I knew it would going to be close.
I looked down at my power meter as I crossed the line: 20:01. So Close!!!
One lousy second over.
Where could I have made up a second? Almost anywhere. I could have gotten clipped in a little faster on the start. I could have cut the curves in the road a little tighter, taking a few feet off the course. I could have turned around just a hair faster. I could have watched my power a little closer and avoided the couple times when it dropped as I was coaxed into a false sense of achievement by the high speeds from the tail wind. I could have sprinted just an instant earlier for the finish line.
Sometimes I get so focused on pedaling as hard as I can that I forget about the little things that can cost me time.
The joys of time trialing....
A few numbers:
Total Distance: 8.35
Total Time: 20:01
Time to turnaround: 9:38
Time back: 10:23
Average Speed: 25.03 mph
Average Power: 260 watts
Morning weight: 179.8
Body fat percentage: 19.6%
