Saturday, February 16, 2013

Starting Early

Last year, I barely rode my time trial bike. I rode it a couple times in July in preparation for my one race in early September... and that was about it. I might have logged 50 miles on it all year.

Not exactly the best way to get used to the very different position required for a solid aerodynamic position.

This year, I'm starting early. I have a possible race in March and two definite races in April and I spent two days on the bike this week: 2 hours on Sunday and 1 hour on Monday.

My position was not perfect, but it was also not painful or uncomfortable. I just got on the bike, got comfortable, and rode for two hours.

At first my power was kind of low, but if gradually climbed throughout the ride. I also threw in a 1-minute burst of power every ten minutes or so to get a feel for the higher intensities.

All told, I'm thrilled with how I did. If I do this just a couple more times, I'll be much more prepared for the spring:

I'm sure the experts can pick apart my pedal stroke and position. Just remember I have barely ridden that bike and I'm still re-adjusting: