MATTS Double Bong 40K Time Trial
May 6, 2007 – Kansasville, WI
Cat 4 – 5th – 01:01:51.72 (official) – 01:00:12 (actual)
255 watts – 24.3 MPH
The first rule of time trialing is never be late for your start time. Many a rider has broken this rule. Most famously, Pedro Delgado in the 1989 Tour de France prologue and Floyd Landis in the 2006 edition. Less famously, Peter Allen in the 2007 Double Bong TT. Although the first two riders were implicated in doping, I’m the only who has publically admitted to it. Yes, I dope before races on Diet Mountain Dew and Frosted Mini Wheats. Did they help me at the Double Bong? Hell ya! I just had few problems with my internal clock.
The Double Bong was my first Target A race of the year, so my legs were fully prepared. Mentally, I was jacked for the race, though I didn’t know how my time would be with the wind. The weather at the Bong was your typical Wisconsin spring weather—temperatures in the mid-50s with blustery winds. I got to the Kansasville start with plenty of time for a warm-up. With winds out of the SE, I wasn’t looking forward to the finish. Plus, we had to do it twice for a full 40K. I knew a Top 3 was likely, but winning would be tough.
I saw my XXX TTing teammate Cecile Redoble for the first time this year and we exchanged race stories and strategy. The race was running about 20 minutes late so we didn’t feel as rushed as normal. Eventually, Cecile had to run off to the start and I was supposed to go a few minutes behind. Considering the cooler weather, I opted to keep warming up within a mile of the start. Not a bad idea, but it would have been more prudent of me to check to see how the officials were handling the late start.
As I made my way to the start, I thought I had at least 2-3 minutes to go. I saw one of the officials waving me to the front. It turns out I had missed my start time by about 1:30 minutes. The officials had started racers every 30 seconds instead of every minute to help speed up the delay. Oops. Cecile and other riders had been screaming at me when they saw me pedal away to do my warm-up, but I couldn’t hear them with the wind.
Thankfully, I was warmed up and adrenaline took over once I took off from the line. I didn’t go out too hard as my mind immediately shifted into 40K mode. I settled into my rhythm and got a feel for the course the first time around. The backstretch was pure heaven. I averaged 4 miles at 30+ MPH. The finishing stretch was a greater challenge, because it was uphill and into a headwind. Still, I kept fighting and trying to pick off the riders in front of me.
The second time around, I gave it my all on the last few miles. I had passed what seemed like a dozen riders and no one had caught me. I definitely had my best effort thus far of the year, but I knew my starting time error had cost me a good place. I pretty wiped, but extremely happy with my performance. I had nearly broken 60 minutes (though the course was only 24.5 miles) and set a new average speed PR. In the end, my mistake dropped me from second to fifth. That goes to show you why you should check with the officials before you leave the starting line. Maybe I just need some more Diet Mountain Dew…