Rock Hill Bike Club TT 7.28.2010 – flat course
Last night, I was in Rock Hill for the Rock Hill Bike Club – flat course – 10 mile time trial.
I had completed their hill course back in May and had it on my todo list to get back for the flat course.
This happened last night.
They kick things off starting at 6:30 so I made sure to get there in time so that I could preride the course. This was something that I didn't do on their other course.
They do really good job with plenty of signs and help along the course. This is even with it being on the open roads.
As people arrive, they sign in for the event and provide an estimated TT time.
I was about the 10th or so person to head out on to the course. Typically, there is about 1 minute between riders, but it could be more depending on traffic. We always wait until it is clear before starting the next rider.
The TT starts and ends in the same place. The first and last few miles are the same with a big loop in the middle.
The roads are not perfectly flat; there are some small rolling hills along the course.
The temps were in the 90s and even thou, I had ridden about 15+ for a warm-up, I was not feeling comfortable on the bike. I kept searching around for the right gear that felt good. Finally about 4 miles into the TT, I found it.
Along the back half to the course, I started catching other riders. First, it was just one. Then it was 2 more a few miles later. I passed 1 last rider just before the finishing stretch. Honestly, I felt good enough that I could have going another 20 miles at that effort.
I finished with a few more miles warm down before calling it an evening.
My time was 23:54 for 9.25 miles (By the Garmin) with equates for 23.34 mph. Click here for the full results. I am crossing my fingers that I will be even faster next week's TT.
Normally, I would have skipped a 2nd hard effort on the same day as 12 mile fartlek, but I had recently purchased a new disc rear wheel. Like a kid with a new toy, I wanted to get some time in on it before going out to the speedway next Wednesday night.
One interesting note, My 404 zipp wheels catch a lot of wind, but having a rear solid disc really moves me around. When it is a head wind, the wheel works great, but if you are in a cross wind, you can literally be pushed across the road. Riding a bike is not like running, there is no opportunity for a lapse in concentration.
Some additional Thoughts from the Cool Down Runner
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