A little of everything

Sunday, 22 February

Today was a real mix. A race and a training ride. Drizzle, sun, wind, 62 degrees, and snow. 55x12 and I don't think it hurt enough.

Today was the 2009 edition of the Frostbite time trial. An elongated course this year to make sure we got the full, advertised 9 miles. A lot of really fine dirt on the road (left behind by the January floods) mixed with the occasional light drizzle and mocked anyone with white on their team kit. In my preride of the course, there was absolutely no wind; the flags hung limp against their poles.

I am always a little concerned before the first TT of the season about the switch from the compact gearing on my rain and race bikes to the monster 55-tooth chain ring on my TT bike. Within 500 meters of the start line today, I had a huge grin on my face. It is so much fun to go fast. :) But you can't breathe hard through a grin, so that was short lived. I spent the vast majority of the race in my 55x12--I guess I adjusted to the bigger chain ring okay.

In retrospect, I had too much fun and don't remember suffering enough. And since there are still no results, I keep trying to remind myself that if it wasn't a mental struggle to maintain the effort, then it wasn't enough effort and my result probably won't be great. At least I know I have to push myself harder next week at the Icebreaker TT.

Immediately postrace, I got a phone call from my husband, who was stranded about 10 miles away (on a solo training ride) with a broken chain. I went and picked him up, we went for coffee, met up with some BlueRoosters on their training ride who also stopped for coffee, and then set out on a little spin of our own. It was a hard ride, definitely more "tempo" than "easy spin" with two good climbs and a few rollers and some long, gradual draggy stuff into a stiff headwind. But beautiful scenery, really balmy sunshine, and STILL snow patches beside the road out by Lake Roesiger. Two hours of that and we were back at the car; I drove home, he rode.

It was a good day. TTs are just fun!