Tuesday, October 11, 2011

I ain't racin' ya....

Have you ever had one of those training days when you feel rushed or forgetful or downright delirious? I think I just had one of those this past Saturday.

My plan for the weekend was to get one last long ride in on Saturday. I would then back it up on Sunday with a 20 mile run. That was my plan.

On Friday night, I had my tri bike in the shop until well after closing. Seems she was wanting to be considered for my upcoming race. She needed some overhauling first. A new headset, a compact crank and a new chain. I was told that my bike was quit the project. So much so that cutting tools had to be used to take the old headset and spacers off. Minor surgery was the term used. Seems the combination of my sweat and the humidity can wreak havoc on the lady parts. A water hose and leaf blower just doesn’t clean her good enough. Again I would like to thank both Ron and Dave at Brandon Bikeworks for their assistance and patience. It was a rough first date for them.

There was a low in South Florida that was going to bring some lovely weather in to the area for the weekend. I woke up and checked the weather. It was already raining in Clermont so plan B had me going to San An. Little did I know there would be 20-25 mph winds once I got there. Cheers for me.

I get to San An and realize I forgot my Garmin. Great. I also forgot my gels. Great. I only had two bottles of fluid. Great. I forgot my earphones for my ipod. Great. I get on my bike and realize my computer is not working. Great. Good thing I already know the route and the approximate miles. I need an assistant.

I know my long ride plans are not supposed to include any pulling, drafting or sprints. Well there were these three guys that I passed on a downhill within the first couple of miles. They then hooked on my wheel and started drafting me. They evidently were not aware of my plan. I broke away a little on a short climb and then they started to catch up. I stopped at an intersection and let them get ahead.
I caught back up and passed them again on a downhill. That aero bar downhill position is great. I then dropped a water bottle. Only had two so I had to stop and get it. The three rode by with one of them saying, “bad luck to you.” Oh is this a race now. I catch up again when one of the guys was telling one of the other cyclists that he should get a compact crank and a bigger cassette. Hey I just did that. I get ahead of them again with a pretty good lead until I start to climb a steep hill. As I shift to the small gear up front, the chain does not shift in to the ring. It stays right in the middle and I spin, spin, spin until I almost stop. I get off the bike and start messing with the chain. This is why I test ride bikes now before my races. Of course the three of them get ahead of me. The cat and mouse continues until another climb. On this climb I start to drink when two of the three start to pass. Oh hell no. I just rode Six Gap. I then pass them for the last time and that was it.

I am still on the fence as to which bike to use. I did not get to ride Clermont like I wanted. I shall try again this Saturday or Sunday.

Sunday I had planned on doing a long run. Again due to the weather, I only ran ten. I felt pretty good. Less than two weeks to go. Oh boy. I still feel pretty good and will feel even better if the weather is cool that morning. Too far out for the forecast.

1 comment:

  1. just remember six gap in two weeks. and maybe, eventhough you don't want to, make a list before your race. just a suggestion...

    ReplyDelete