Peninusula Cliff 10K TT
March 30, 2013 – Rolling Hills Estates, CA
Cat 4 – 5th – 22:58:00
308 watts – 15.5 MPH

Fiesta Island 20K TT
March 31, 2013 – San Diego, CA
Masters 35+ – 2nd – 27:57:00
269 watts – 26.7 MPH

What a better way to celebrate Easter weekend than 2 time trials!

The first race of the weekend was the Peninsula Cliff TT up San Pedro Hill. I did this course a month ago, and set a PR. After battling a sinus infection for the past week, I had no idea how I would do. The weather was great for climbing, but not my sinuses. Temperatures at the start were overcast and in the upper-50s. Rumor was that we could expect heavy fog and mist at the summit. I was late getting to race due to traffic, so I didn’t get in as much of a warm-up as I wanted. Plus, I was never ending snot rocket.

The first 2 miles of the course was a ~5% average grade, and I maintained a nice controlled 324 watts average. The next couple of miles before the turn onto Crest Road have always been a challenge to me. There is a slight downhill with some false flats. My average power dropped to 263 watts, since I was giving my legs a rest. I think this is one area where I often lose time to other riders who continue to hammer this section. The final segment up Crest Road was pretty cool. Although my legs were tired, I mentally got into the race. There wasn’t much visibility due to the fog, which added a certain mystique. The Donut Ride was also out on the course, so even us racers were getting passed by some of the stronger group riders. It felt as if I was in the Tour de France on a summit finish in the Alps. My average wattage on this section was 314 watts, but my body was really feeling the effort. My HR average was 180 bpm, which I think was also brought on by my sinus infection.

I ended up placing 4th in Cat 4 and being slightly slower than last month, but my power was much higher. I think the wind last month helped my overall speed, which is why I was even happier with my effort this month. I really like this course and wish they had more races throughout the year.

My second race of the weekend was the Fiesta Island TT. I love this course, because it’s so flat… 😀 I had no idea how I would do after yesterday’s race. I also hadn’t been getting in much riding on my TT bike. Looking back on my race data provides a good analysis of the race:

Lap#1 = 26.4 MPH, 267 watts, 159 bpm

Lap#2 =26.6 MPH, 266 watts, 160 bpm

Lap#3 = 27.1 MPH, 269 watts, 163 bpm

My wattage was fairly consistent throughout the race, but I focused more the last lap. Yes, more watts but I tried to remain as aero as possible. My legs were pretty much trashed, so I was happy with my overall effort. This race reminds me how much I need to get more intervals in on my TT bike for future races.