MATTS Team Apache 40K Time Trial
June 24, 2006 – Paw Paw, IL
Cat 4 – 8th – 1:03:09
255 watts – 23.1 MPH
How many times have you left home knowing you forgot something? Heading down I-88, I got that nagging feeling. I ran a mental checklist in my head. Helmet? OK. Shoes? Yep. Bike? Duh. Entry fee? Of course. Water? Water? Oh shit! With a case full of Costco Gatorade in back, you wonder why I should care. Normally, I’d be OK, but today I was racing a 40K time trial and my Felt TT bike has no cages. I have a Profile Design Aerodrink holder that normally sits in my aerobars, but it was instead sitting next to my kitchen sink. Right . . . uh . . . time to go old school and use my jersey pockets.
Getting out to Paw Paw was relatively easy. It’s out by Rochelle, right off I-39. The trip took about 90 minutes—even with some Illinois’s famous “permanent” tollway construction. Paw Paw only has 800 people, so it gained an extra 10% the day of the race. Like most small Illinois and Iowa towns, it has a Casey’s General Store which provided an opportunity to grab a small water bottle for my jersey. Not very aerodynamic, but I’d rather not bonk at 30K.
The race flyer described registration at the center of town. Thankfully, Paw Paw is not Los Angeles and all you had to do is follow the cyclists. Arriving at 8:45 AM allowed me to get a start time 2 hours later. Parking was at the local school, so you had the opportunity to ride the trainer or the roads around town. I chose to do a long slow warm-up on the roads around town. The roads were in good shape with just a little pea gravel in spots, plus traffic was relatively minor. People seemed to acknowledge the race and passed riders in the oncoming lane with plenty of space.
The start was about 800 m outside of town with the typically awesome ABR officials. Riders got underway in 1 minute increments. The course this year was different than last. After starting, I experienced the exhilaration of finally racing on the bike again after a few months off. This was amplified by a mostly long downhill start where I was really able to punch the afterburners. The turns were well marked and all major intersections had a volunteer directing traffic.
After the initial downhill, I realized why this TT course was denoted as “challenging”. Lots of rollers. I found myself shifting more than I normally would, but I kept catching those in front of me (and only getting passed by my minuteman behind me). Following the turnaround, I lost my water bottle after just a couple of swigs. Trying to accelerate and put something back in your jersey is not as easy as it looks on TV. I got a little pissed, but I wasn’t too worried since it wasn’t too hot. Plus, I was feeling good though negative splits were going to be out of the question with the last 5 miles all uphill.
At the start of the finishing hill, one the LOT team members caught me which was a huge boost. We leapfrogged the next few miles chasing each other (but never drafting). This helped eliminate the burn of the hill. He nipped me at the line, but I did better than I would have had I not had someone to chase.
Considering, I had only been getting about 75 miles a week on the trainer, I was really happy with my time. The course was short at 39K, but I still hit 63 flat. This put me at 23.2 MPH, which was faster than my Single Bong speed even though it was 20K and a much easier course. Not bad for cutting my training in half. My 8th place finish was also slightly better, but I’d like to crack the Top 5 in the next few races.
Overall, this race was typical for most of the ABR TTs I have done. Well organized, good course, and great riders. Everyone was friendly in the parking lot, and I had some great chats with other teams. The weather was perfect, and I didn’t want to leave since I had so much fun. Make sure you pounce at the chance to ride Paw Paw next year—just remember to pack water the night before.