Bike mech in training, and the Green Valley TT

On Thursday, Emy and I swapped out my old, rather crusty and rotten bottom bracket for a new one. I had to buy some new bike tools (wahoo!) and even a long-handled 1/2" socket mechanics wrench, so we would have enough leverage. My old BB had been in there for roughly 7000 miles, through the entire winter, and all other training since I started riding last June. It was definitely due!

Here's Emy and I using the BFC and LFC (that's Big F-n Crescent and Little F-n Crescent) to get the crankarms off. They were well attached, but our combined power was sufficient:
We were both sporting our aprons from Hot Tea Apparel to keep off the grease. When it came time to remove the very stuck bottom bracket, Emy held on to the frame with all her might while I yarded on the 1/2" socket. We both squealed with delight when it finally came loose!

The instructions for the new BB said there might be some friction for th first ride or two. I rode on Friday, and if my ride in to work was any indication, I was experiencing much MORE friction with the dead BB! I was really looking forward to the TT the following day.

The Green Valley TT
I barely made it to the race on my preferred schedule. I rolled in and parked about 55 minutes before my start time, nervous that I would not be able to register, pin on my number to my skinsuit, and warm up in time. The registration process took a little longer as the staff running the race were really stoked by my wallet from, you guessed it, Hot Tea Apparel. Being the good husband, I indulged them a bit in how cool the wallet is. I gotta find a way to market this to the bike racing community...

I did manage about 30 minutes of warm up - 15 minutes of spinning, 5 minutes at 160 bpm, 5 easy, 1 hard minute, and then 4 really easy. I was sweating like crazy! I had my knee warmers pulled on over my shorts, intending to remove them before the start. But, in my craziness of getting to the start line and throwing the trainer in the back of the car, I forgot. I didn't notice until about 30 seconds after starting that my right knee warmer was falling down by my ankle! Ugh! I hastily pulled it up with one hand and stuffed it under the leg cuffs of the skin suit, and then did the same for the left leg. This process cost me at least 15-20 seconds in my final time, I am sure. Anyway, I learned my lesson from the Icebreaker TT on the same course, and went out a bit easy, knowing I would have a slight uphill and headwind on the way back from the turnaround. My teammate Cole, who was supposed to start one minute ahead of me, was a no-show, which meant I had no "carrot" to chase. I did well to the cone, and after the turnaround was able to keep it about 0.5 mph slower than on the way out. I got passed by my teammate who started one minute behind me, but after letting him get the required 100 feet ahead of me to avoid getting flagged for drafting, I was able to stay even with him for the last 3 miles to the finish.

My goal had been to beat 30 minutes, and I handily beat that with a time of 27:56. I was pretty happy with this time, although upon reflectiong, I suspect I could have gone harder. When my teammate Niels passed me, it was hard to elevate my pace, but not really unbearable. I guess I am still learning what my limits are.

Here's me, in a picture from teammate Derek's mom (Beki):
(I'm a little out of focus, but overall I am happy with how my position looks using the shorter and lower stem.)

I'm starting to yearn for a disc wheel and a fancy TT helmet!

This Friday is the first night of pre-season track racing at Marymoor. I'm so excited! I picked up silver bar tape to match the silver saddle on the new Fuji Track Pro and dialed in the position as best I can without riding it. I'll post a picture tomorrow. It's time for bed.