The First Race of the Season

On Sunday I did the Frostbite TT up in Everett. There are three things I did wrong that I will need to correct for the Icebreaker TT this coming weekend:

1. I was in a mad rush to get all ready in time for my start time, and ended up with only 10 minutes of spinning on the trainer, plus 2 minutes of zone 3 before I had to head to the start "house"
2. I waited until the last second to pin my number on my skinsuit, which contributed to #1 above
3. I didn't pre-ride the course, which proved to be a major flaw (see below)

Here's why those things were not good:

1. I really need a longer warm up - I didn't really feel good until I was already 10 minutes into the course, which was "only" a 9 mile out-and-back. I knew this was going to happen, but it still sucks. To correct this, I will show up with at least 30 extra minutes compared to last weekend. Since I haven't done any road races in like 4 years, I just don't have my routine down like I used to (plus, back in the day, both Bree and I were racing, so we could help each other get ready)
   
2. It took me like 5-10 minutes to get the number pinned on, and changed into my skinsuit from my jeans and team jersey I wore on the drive. I already have my number for this coming weekend's race, so I can pin it on the night before. I will still probably change at the event.
3. I didn't pre-ride the course, so I didn't know the location of the turnaround. This coming weekend I will definitely try to get in a pre-ride as part of my warm up, unless the weather is bad, and then I will just trust my teammates (who will be setting up the course) to make a clear turnaround.

The main reason #3 was a major flaw had nothing to do with me, really - for the first 40-50 riders, the race organizers failed to put a cone in the road indicating the turnaround! There was also no official standing at the turnaround, so anyone with questionable ethics could have cut the course. Additionally, an oxygen-deprived rider might not think to look back before turning (assuming they knew where to turn), with potentially disastrous consequences, since the course was open to traffic (although traffic was very light). An official and a crew member to stop traffic are really necessary, in my opinion.

Here's the blow-by-blow:

I did my abbreviated warm-up (struggling into the skinsuit in the back seat may count as a couple minutes of warm up too - but I wasn't wearing my heart rate monitor, so I don't know what zone I was in!), threw the trainer in the trunk, and walk-run through the gravel parking lot to the road. Then I rode at a steady but brisk pace to the start house, saw I had three minutes, so I did a sprint and turned back to the line. The holder held my saddle, and the official counted down from 10 seconds. I had a good start, although I should have been in one easier gear. I very quickly passed the rider who had gone before me, and eventually caught the rider 1 minute in front of me. Then I was alone for a while before I passed one more rider. At about 8 minutes in, I was starting to warm up a little bit, and my heart rate was leveling off at 171-173 bpm. Not long after, I was passed by Dustin Van Wyck, the cat 3 who started 30 seconds behind me. He was flying, but I worked hard to hold him at about 50 meters. Since he and I are in the same category, I couldn't afford to let him get too much time on me, and I hoped I might be able to pass him right back after the turnaround. He and I kept going, and at one point I sort of noticed a few orange cones on the right side of the road, but I didn't think much of it. After rounding a bend to the right, I see Dustin coming toward me, waving his arm in a circle indicating it was time to turn around. I thought "what?" and then shortly thereafter I came to an intersection with a stoplight. Oh no! There was definitely not supposed to be an intersection on the course! So, angered and frustrated, I turned around. For the first minute or so, I didn't go very hard, thinking my race was already over, but as I saw more riders coming toward me, I yelled to them, "There's no cone! Turn around now!" With that, I started pedalling in earnest. Dustin must have been feeling similarly, since I noticed the gap was not as large. I shifted a gear and picked up the pace. On the way out I had been averaging around 24.5-25 mph, but I quickly brought it up to 26.5 and occasionally 27 mph ont he way back. At around 15 minutes into the race, I finally felt warmed up and smooth, and saw I was pulling Dustin back somewhat. I was also passing quite a number of riders (OK, like 3) I was hoping Dustin had gone out too hard, but by the finish I was sure he had at least a minute on me. I sprinted the last 200 meters, and felt like my face was covered with snot and drool, but luckily you can't tell in this picture taken by the spouse of a team member:
I have absolutely no memory of this car just to my left.

Unfortunately, the end results put me at dead last (first time I have ever been last in a race - boo hoo), but I did get in a measured (by the race director) extra 0.44 miles. So if I use my overall average, which works out to 25.2 mph, I would have done the 9 mile course in 21:26, which is still near the bottom, but feels a bit better. And, without the disappointment of the missing turnaround, and a better warm up, I'm sure I can do better this coming weekend.

The results have already been posted, so I expect they won't change (I did email the director at the suggestion of a teammate asking for some fuzzy math to adjust my finish time). At least I can't get a worse placing!

Plus, this coming weekend's course is 10 miles, so I've only got another half mile to worry about! I'm hoping I can do a time more like what is posted for last weekend's course (22:29). I should also have a new, mroe aero front wheel I got on eBay by then. I was offered a disc by our generous president, but I declined. Since I can't afford one this season, I certainly don't want to fall in love with the performance of a disc wheel. Maybe next year.